Sparkpulse
by NKfloofiepoof
Summary: preG1 AU How might things have gone had it been Optimus who took Starscream under his wing before the war instead of Megatron? Cowritten with OKamihu. Finished
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Co-written with OKami-hu here on and completely unrelated to _Hate the Dark_/_Humans Call Them Dreams_ (which I'm going to have to come up with a series title for - any suggestions? My best option is _'Til All Are One_ which is lame D: ).

We wanted to do some Prime/Screamer goodness and came up with this idea which has since spawned a HUGE arc we're working on now involving the Dinobots and lots of sticky misadventures. At any rate, here's the first part - hope you enjoy it as much as we did writing it

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The Academy was like a jewel on a crown. On all Cybertron, the Iacon school was the most famous, the most popular. Only the best could attend it, and they were taught by the best. The whole complex was more like a miniature city inside the city, buzzing with life.

The main building was the most majestic of all, tall and strong but slender at the same time, the prime example of Cybertronian architecture. It was never quiet; scientists and soldiers walked on the corridors, occupying labs and training rooms, or just discussing, debating, arguing in rec rooms. One could feel the energy of the young mechs here in an endless flow, fueling the planet's prosperous life and the glorious future.

Optimus Prime loved it here. He had many fond memories tied to this place; after all, he had once been a student here as well; a young, foolish mech striving to be the best, to have a place in history - and by Primus' will, he eventually ended up as Prime, ruler of the planet. But after so many vorns, as he crossed the same corridors again, passing a dark corner where he and Elita shared a tender moment, or a huge bay window where he and Megatron used to sit back-to-back, gazing out to the city and dreaming about the future, Optimus felt young again.

Those who passed him all saluted or bowed lightly, giving him the proper respect. Some even flashed a genuine smile, or stopped for a handshake or a quick question, inquiring about general things. It was a nice feeling that the mechs were satisfied with his work and liked him.

Optimus replied to the greetings and answered the questions - he wasn't in any particular hurry, just wanting to have a few words with his friend-mentor, weapons master Ironhide.

He waved to professor Beachcomber then turned round the corner - just to stop in his tracks and observe the sight. In a bay window, a young Seeker was sitting, or more likely, slumped against the wall, his smooth features frozen in a distant expression of sadness. The mechs who passed him seemed to avoid him, some radiating compassion, throwing a glance over their shoulders; others simply in fear, quickly tip-toeing away.

Prime began to wonder - who was this young mech, feared and respected both, and why was he regarding the beautiful view so sadly...? He looked slender and elegant with an eye-catching red, white, and blue paintjob and a dark face. He still radiated pride even in his current state. Optimus' spark clenched, and before he could catch himself, he walked to the Seeker, stopping next to him quietly.

The Seeker paid him no mind just as he paid no mind to anyone else who passed him by, lost in his own thoughts and miseries. He felt empty and lost and was debating why he was even at the academy for the day in the first place. He only went here because his partner was determined they would graduate together at the top of their class, but now he was gone, so what was the point?

Starscream turned his red gaze to the sky outside the window. He knew Skyfire would chide him for being so miserable, but he could not help himself. They had known each other almost since they were sparklings. They had plans to graduate together and become renowned scientists - even their thesis was a collaboration from their studies exploring. However, Skyfire was dead, and Starscream's life screeched to a halt, and he knew not if he had the courage to try to start it up again.

Optimus cleared his vocalizer softly and settled down on the other end of the windowsill. "The city is beautiful. One would hardly think it is possible to look at it and harbor dark feelings any further, facing with so much light, so much life."

The thrusters in Starscream's feet rumbled angrily in response to the cheerful quip though his gaze never left the sky. What was so wonderful about the city when his best and oldest friend was no longer there to explore it with him? Whoever had violated the Seeker's sanctity of misery had clearly never lost anyone before. "Life, ha," he scoffed in response, hoping, if nothing else, that his shrill voice would get rid of the intruder. Only Skyfire never seemed to cringe at the sound of the Seeker's voice. "Life is too temporary and fleeting - one moment, you're going along your merry way without a care in the world, and before you know it, it's all over." Starscream held back the miserable sigh he desperately wanted to let out, knowing this was the point where his friend normally would have taken his head in his enormous hand and shook him until he lightened up.

It was not hard to put two and two together. "You're... mourning." Optimus bowed his head respectfully in an apology, regardless if the other had seen it or not. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. It was honestly not my intention to tear into your wounds. I'm sorry. Whoever it was, he surely meant a lot to you."

He himself had lost a few friends to accidents, one to old age... Prime knew grief, and his spark curled up from sadness and compassion beneath the protective layers of his armor.

Crimson optics flared in anger before dimming again, their owner having not the energy to remain angry when he was so distracted by sadness. "Don't humor me," he muttered, no longer caring to keep his voice at a proper volume for conversation. Starscream was tired of others humoring him or disregarding his grief as not genuine. He knew he was not well-liked - many often questioned Skyfire behind Starscream's back about why he continued to associate himself with the most incorrigible scientist in the academy. Most doubted he was truly mourning the loss of Skyfire as a friend and instead mourning the loss of him as simply his partner since his loss would mean he would have to finish all of their work by himself. That, of course, was the least of Starscream's concerns, not that anyone else would believe it.

The Seeker suddenly pushed away from the windowsill. If he was going to be disturbed, he wanted to be disturbed by someone who was just as depressed as himself. After all, misery loves company. He finally turned to see who had dared intruded, his mouth open to growl something cutting, but his mouth snapped back shut when he finally noticed just who it was, optics flickering slightly. He had just verbally bitten off the head of the bearer of the Matrix. Only Starscream would be stupid enough to do something like that.

Optimus was hard to offend, though, especially when he could clearly see the other was upset, in a jumbled-up emotional state. He rose from his seat and stepped closer, gently laying a hand on the red-white shoulder. "Please, do not doubt my intentions," he said calmly, almost pleading. "I know how it feels to lose somebody close to your spark, and it pains me to see such a young, strong mech wrecked by grief. I don't know what happened, I don't even know your name, but I offer my compassion freely and without any afterthought. I'd like you to know that if you're willing to share a drink for the memory of the deceased, or you'd like to talk to somebody, you can always come to me."

There was something deep inside that sleek frame, in those red optics, a vibrant potential. The Seeker's defiance and pride piqued Prime's curiosity. Who was this young mech with the sort of high-pitched voice and the vast amount of arrogance - enough for an upper-class diplomat?

Starscream flinched slightly at the touch on his shoulder but knew better than to jerk away from someone so much more prestigious than himself. Not that he usually held much respect for authority - anyone who only knew of his reputation could tell of how he had no qualms against contradicting and even putting down his own instructors. Still, even he knew it was probably a bad idea to continue to mouth off to Optimus Prime. Instead, once he found his voice again, he countered, "Much as I appreciate your concern, you're wasting it on me." He was quite sure Prime had much more important things to focus on than a lowly, broken mech like himself.

"My concern is never wasted. You're one of those I intend to serve with all I have; it would be thoughtless of me to ignore your pain. Others would think that next time, I would ignore theirs, and they'd come to the conclusion that I'll eventually ignore my duties." Optimus sighed. "But I see it is still fresh and you'd like to be alone with your grief. Take your time with it. And never let the good memories fade away."

Starscream flinched again and looked away, back out the window. If only he knew just how fresh it was - it was only just the orn before that he was finally permitted out of the medical facilities after returning to Cybertron nearly deactivated from lack of energy, energy which he had burned almost entirely searching for Skyfire on the planet they were exploring. Some who especially hated him accused him of abandoning Skyfire, and Starscream refused to defend himself, refused to tell them that he nearly killed himself searching, then again on the horrible, lonely trek back. They would never have believed him anyway.

Prime was feeling worse by the astrosecond. The grief practically rolled off the Seeker, he looked so... engagingly regal, both strong and weak. "At least, before you go, can I have your name?"

Starscream frowned and forced his attention back to the other mech, pulling himself from his misery. Why would someone as important as Optimus Prime wish to know his name? He hesitantly answered though, his voice less shrill as he lowered it nervously, "Starscream."

"Starscream," Prime echoed. The name sounded familiar... He was sure he encountered it somewhere. He decided to do a little research, and possibly find out which beloved one of the Seeker had met its demise.

"You have a name which carries Fate in it. I will not keep you any longer then, Starscream. I hope your troubles will ease and you'll be able to think back on the fallen with a smile."

His gloomy mood broke for a brief moment then as he favored Prime with a half-amused glare. "I have a name which describes my horrid voice," he countered. He always hated his voice - he assumed he was named Starscream because his terrible screech made even the stars shudder. The Seeker shook his head and turned away again, lifting his gaze back to the sky. His wings ached to fly again, but he dared not, knowing he would be bombarded with memories of the flights he shared with Skyfire. "I appreciate your sympathy, but I'm sure you've wasted enough of your time on me." Starscream knew Prime had to be here for a reason, and that reason was not to console a stranger.

"I wasn't in a hurry," Optimus folded his hands behind his back, the smile evident in his voice. "And you don't have to have such a low opinion about your vocalizer's settings. I don't find it particularly irritating. Maybe it were your enemies who marked your tone as such."

He flinched once more, more visibly this time. Skyfire used to say that to him, used to assure him that his voice was not as terrible as he claimed. Starscream always countered by telling him he needed to have his audio receptors overhauled. In fact, they had bickered about that just the orn before Skyfire...

Starscream's wings started to quiver as he tried to hold back the painfully fresh memories, and he shook his head sharply. A distraction - that was what he needed. He needed to reacquaint himself with his laboratory and lose himself in an experiment or three. If he could do that, then the pain would dwindle enough for him to think properly again.

What- Primus, no, things were just getting worse. Optimus suppressed the urge to draw the young Seeker into an embrace and hold him until the pain eased. Where did that thought come from, anyway...?

"Are you alright?" He asked, worryingly. Sometimes emotional pain affected the body, the systems... It was not unheard of - a mech's processors collapsing under the tension. "Forgive me if I did upset you. Perhaps I can escort you back to your quarters, or... wherever you'd like to be?"

"I..." Starscream started then trailed off, not trusting his own voice just yet. He rebooted it to test its steadiness before trying again, "I need...something to do." He turned to start away, paused, then turned around to look down the other corridor, and a brief flash of panic filled his optics as he realized that he was so distraught he had momentarily completely forgotten exactly where in the building he was. He shut off his optics and clenched a hand into a fist, tightening it until he heard a cable pop in protest, and the sharp pain distracted him long enough for him to get his bearings straight again. His optics brightened again, thinking more clearly now. He turned his attention back to the other mech and muttered an apology for his behavior. "It...was just a few orns ago."

"No need to apologize, I understand what a state you are in," Optimus assured him. "When I lost a dear friend in a shuttle crash, even recharge escaped me for orns, I was perfectly out of it, as if steadily heading towards deactivation." He glanced out on the window, memories assaulting him from those days long past. Several students of the Academy had their sparks extinguished in that crash, and two respected mentors along with soldiers and civilians.

"If you need a few days off from your regular duties, I'll inform the board about it. Nobody expects you to get over with it so quickly. Our kind does not take termination easily."

"I'm still on leave," Starscream said quietly. "I was just released from the medical ward yesterday and given five orns off to recover." That was possibly why he was losing his grip on his emotions - he was never good with emotions and always tried to distract himself when they got in the way, and the best distractions were classes and experiments, both of which he had limited access to for the next several orns. He was normally just fine as long as he did not have to deal with such confusing feelings as emotions - Skyfire was the emotional one, and Starscream was the practical one. That was why they worked so well together.

Prime gave up. "You know what is best for you. Just don't let yourself drift away. I suppose I have kept you for long enough now, and you're fed up with my wise advices. May Primus watch your flight, Starscream." He bowed his head to the Seeker, and targeted the training grounds again.

Starscream winced. Him and his stupid vocalizer. He glanced over his shoulder at Prime's retreating form just long enough to call at his back, "I...I appreciate it. Thank you." He hesitated before turning to leave as well though he knew not where he was going. He just knew he needed to leave before his stupid vocalizer offended Prime any further.

He couldn't see the leader stopping and looking back over his shoulder, gazing after his winged frame.


	2. Chapter 2

Like every other time, Prime's presence at the graduation ceremony was necessary. The young mechs got their Academy badges with all the documentation on their achievements coded into it, there were speeches, and in the end, the big party. This year's graduates were especially good, both soldiers and scientists. Optimus couldn't help but feel proud - a little at least - their optics were shining, their handshakes were steady, full of confidence. Such mechs ensured Cybertron's prosperous future, the Golden Age they lived in.

There was a familiar face among the graduates: a young Seeker called Starscream. Prime remembered him well; he could easily recall the captivating sight as he sat in the bay window, mourning the loss of his best friend and partner. Prime guessed right back then; he had seen the Seeker's name before, on the list of the most promising science students. He was a strong flier and had a brilliant mind - though those good qualities combined with a quick temper. However, he had an undeniable potential, and Optimus wasn't surprised when Starscream was awarded with an extra Academy prize for his excellent work. It was twice as astonishing as he completed it all alone. Prime thought he understood why.

But the Seeker didn't seem to be too thrilled - he thanked for the award politely, but then, he simply vanished from sight. Now, at the party with a small cube in hand, Optimus was searching for him, hoping to spot the red-white wings among the other mechs. The mood was quite high; everybody was chatting, laughing, joking, and celebrating the end of the school year.

Starscream sat quietly off to the side, staring forlornly at the floor where an empty cube rested by his badge and award. He swirled the energon in his half-filled second cube and watched its shimmer in the light of the room. The other students avoided him for the most part, but that was nothing new to him - what hurt was the fact that he was celebrating graduation without his partner. This was the day they had looked forward to sharing for far too long, and now Starscream had to enjoy it alone. He made sure Skyfire's accomplishments were acknowledged and spoken of during the ceremony, but it did little to soothe him.

He couldn't completely avoid Prime's keen gaze though; Optimus finally spotted him and began to advance toward the quiet corner, making some conversation with others on the way there. Everybody was so happy, and Starscream seemed so sad. Not a wonder, really. If time had healed his wounds any bit, today surely tore them open.

Finally, Optimus stopped in front of the young seeker, and he raised a cube to him. "Congratulations, Starscream. You did wonderful work. I know that somebody is very proud of you right now."

The Seeker looked up slowly as if his head felt too heavy to try. It took him a klik to process exactly what had been said to him, but he eventually did and grumbled in response, "The only one who would be is dead - you can't be proud of anything if you're dead." With that, he threw back his head and finished the contents of his second cube, letting the buzz of the energon coax him into forgetting his troubles temporarily.

As it made its way through his systems, he set the now empty cube on the floor with the other and leaned over his lap, letting his folded arms rest on his knees. He quietly surveyed the room - everyone else seemed so excited and had someone else with whom to gush over their accomplishments. A select few were even graced with the presence of their creators. Starscream had always been a loner - he liked solitude and was of the mindset that if he could not count on himself, he could not count on anyone, but right now, he found himself wishing terribly that he had at least one other mech to share this day.

"You forget that I'm the bearer of the Matrix," Optimus said softly. He didn't feel offended - Starscream had all rights to feel miserable. "Our sparks return there, once we're terminated. In a way, every deceased transformer is a part of me. I'm sure that Skyfire is very proud of you. Proud of your strength, determination, your love for him. I know you miss him and it hurts to stand alone now... But don't doubt that you accomplished something really great." He gestured to the wide bench the Seeker occupied. "Mind if I sit for a while?"

Starscream's wings actually drooped as Optimus spoke, knowing his words were true even if they hurt. "I just wish they'd quit accusing me of killing him," he muttered quietly before he registered the other mech's question and looked back up at him. He scooted a little further down the bench to make sure Prime had plenty of room even with his wings taking up space. He had to give up the sulky position over his lap to do so, and sitting up made his head swim a little.

Prime's engine gave an angry rev. "They will stop that, I can guarantee as much. It's obvious what happened; foul speech should not bother you any further." It was sad how there were mechs so jealous or malicious, making fun of pain and hissing at each other from jealousy. "I'm sorry you had to put up with that. But don't let their glitching get in your way. You graduated as top of your class; you'll have a name for yourself soon, I'm sure of it." He laid a hand lightly on the red-white shoulders. "What do you intend to do now? Apply to a research center? I know your past achievements; they spoke about your great passion for exploring."

Starscream's gaze lowered to his lap. It was obvious what happened, alright - he let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah - actually, I killed him twice. Once when I signed us up for that expedition and again when I gave up finding him." He shook his head, knowing Skyfire would not see it that way. Rather than dwell on such morbid thoughts, he looked up at Optimus. "I was considering enrolling in the War Academy to become a soldier. I already filled out the applications."

The leader's blue optics widened. "A soldier...?" He asked, sort of dumbfounded. That sounded... wrong. Starscream had the quality to become one of the most famous explorers, and he wanted to go through the drill and patrol the cities...? Though... It made sense. Exploring was the reason the Seeker lost his friend.

"Have you thought about it well? I don't mean to offend, really, but you... don't seem to be cut to be a soldier. Also, it'd be sad if your talent went to waste." Prime was worried. Somehow, he came to like the young mech even though they barely talked; he watched over Starscream's progress and felt a strange urge to help him to achieve everything he could.

"Exploring can't fully utilize my flying capabilities, and it wastes a lot of energy as well," Starscream reasoned. "I'm better at flying and aerial maneuvers than I am anything else - I'd be better off in the military." He felt odd saying that - it was not often at all that he actually admitted he was good at anything, but his talent in flying was the one thing he was truly proud of.

"You don't seem to have much self-confidence," Prime noted quietly. "You shouldn't put yourself so low. Don't listen to those who speak badly of you - those without talent seldom finish as first of the class. However, if that is what you want to do, go through the training... You know what's best for you. Our species has a long lifespan. If you decide you don't want to put up with the service anymore, you can still become a scientist."

Starscream just nodded quietly, his head feeling heavier as the kliks went by. "I figured that...an' I like flying - can do that alone...need a new partner for explorin'," he muttered in response, his words growing less clear with each sentence. He processed energon slowly, especially high quality energon, but once it was processed, it hit him like an asteroid, which was rather pathetic, since he had only had two.

"I'm almost sorry I can't fly," Optimus mused. He was sipping his own cube slowly - he wasn't much of a drinker, though his system handled it quite well. But he preferred quality over quantity. He noticed that the Seeker was getting a bit disoriented, and he sort of hoped it would do him some good... _Maybe he'll be free from the tension for a while_.

"I'll be teaching at the Academy for a while, so maybe we'll meet there."

Starscream's optics flickered in an attempt to focus his surroundings again, tension in his shoulders and wings finally leaving as the energon was fully processed. He visibly perked up at Optimus' statement, even his wings hiking back up, though their movement sent him off balance a little, and he ended up leaning slightly against Prime's arm. "Really? Think I'd like that..."

Optimus smiled to himself. Some mechs became violent when overenergized, some became angsty, brooding over the problems of the universe. Some were cheery, and some were just... peaceful. A bit surprisingly, Starscream seemed to belong to the last category. Prime shifted a bit, to be able to catch the Seeker if he - perchance - fainted or fell, and lightly cleared his vocalizer. "I don't exactly know why, but somehow I took great interest in you. I'd like to know you better, if it's reasonable, and I promise that I'll help you to be a good soldier since that is your wish."

The Seeker seemed to melt a little at those words, leaning against Optimus more so he could rest his head against the other mech's shoulder. "I'm glad," he admitted. "Yer nice to me even though I'm a glitch...nobody likes me." The energon seemed to not only have a calming effect, but it also tore away his inhibitions, especially as it spread through his systems - he would never be so open if he was not overcharged.

"I'm sure that is not true," Optimus claimed with much belief. "I have talked to many, and there were mechs who thought quite highly of you. Your mind is unquestionably sharp; you have an interesting, unique and effective view on things. Maybe your manners put others off... You shouldn't consider everybody an enemy. If you could be a little more open, a little more friendly... I'm sure you could have friends."

Starscream's wings drooped again. "S'what Skyfire used to say..." His vocal processor hitched a little in mid-sentence in a sort of a hiccup, and the more he talked, the more heavily he leaned against Optimus. "Doubt it though - nobody in any of my classes liked me. Kept tryin' to get Skyfire to dump me."

The leader glanced around. Nobody had noticed them this far - they were too occupied with feeling good and getting overenergized - but public image had to be maintained. At least to a degree. He maneuvered the Seeker a bit more upright, and carefully wrapped an arm around the sadly hanging wings.

"I'm sorry I involuntarily reminded you on your friend," he said honestly. "But... sooner or later, you'll have to let go of him, and look into the future. He wouldn't want it any other way. Skyfire was loved and respected, and he obviously loved you much - I doubt he'd like you to live in his shadow."

The Seeker looked disappointed that his cushion had been taken away, but then his optics flickered as he very slowly processed what Prime was saying. "I always lived in his shadow...he was huge!" Starscream started giggling at the comparison and leaned forward a little as he tried to double over, nearly hitting Optimus with one of his wings.

Prime chuckled a bit and skillfully pulled away from the careless wings and gently pushed the Seeker back against the wall before he lost his balance and fell flat on his face. "How many cubes have you had, Starscream...?"

It took the Seeker entirely too long to think about that, and even as he did, he looked down at his hands and absently counted his now blurry fingers for a klik or two before finally forcing his head back up to look at Prime with another hiccup. "Two."

Oooh, somebody couldn't hold his energon. Well, it happened. "Why did you drink so much when you know that it'll knock you out?" he scolded the Seeker gently. "It only gives a temporary solace, and the pain it gives you doesn't worth it."

"Seemed like a good idea at th' time..." Starscream tried to lean against Optimus again, feeling steadier against him than he did the wall. He started giggling again. "S'what Skyfire said once...said that'll be what my marker'll say when I die - 'seemed like a good idea at the time'."

"At least, you can think of him and smile now..." Prime sighed and gave up, pulling the young mech against him loosely. If anybody happened to say anything, he'd get their grades down below zero. "You won't die for a while if I can help it."

He couldn't understand where this feeling came from. There were young and talented mechs all over Cybertron, why did he pick this one...? Why did he feel the urge to watch him, guide him, help him...? There was something in the slender Seeker, which drew Optimus. Also... somewhere, in the deepest parts of his spark, there was a growing anxiety - he had to watch the Seeker or something terrible would happen.

Starscream looked very happy when the other mech pulled him closer, and he took that opportunity to lean against him again though with his awkward wings proving to be an obstacle, he ended up resting less against Prime's arm and more against the side of his chest. There, the Seeker found himself fascinated with Optimus' windshield and raised a clumsy hand to poke at his own reflection.

That was... embarrassing. Prime could feel his faceplates heating up, and his ventilation hum louder a bit. He got always uneasy when his body reacted so... noisily about something, even if he just strained his processors over a difficult problem, and the cooling fans whirred to life. But he couldn't be angry with the other. Stopping the wandering hand gently, he leaned a little bit closer. "You're cute when you're overenergized. Others should see you like this..."

Starscream looked back up at Prime, and his dark face lit up in a beaming smile. "You think I'm cute?" he squeaked, wriggling a little in his spot next to him in excitement. Either he had never received such a compliment before, or he was sufficiently intoxicated enough to be labeled "cratered" - or both.

"Hush!" Prime jumped a little and placed his fingertips over the other's vocalizer. "You're so royally sloshed, Starscream. You should go back to your quarters and get some recharge."

He peered curiously at Optimus' fingers as he was silenced and tried to get his mouth around one simply because it was there. As he did, he pouted and protested, "But I'm not tired!"

"No, but you're not behaving properly," Optimus tried to reason, faceplates heating up more, vents humming louder... which only made his core temperature rise even higher. He quickly took his fingers away. "Please, Starscream. You've had enough energon and glory for today. I'll escort you back, alright?"

The Seeker sulked but relented for the moment. "Oh, alright." He awkwardly pushed himself off of Optimus so he could try to stand up, not succeeding well at all. His feet were even less cooperative than his numb hands.

Quickly snatching the award and the Academy badge from the floor, Optimus was just in time to wrap an arm around the smaller frame to save the Seeker from falling. "Just get out of the room, then I'll carry you," he assured his young companion - he couldn't entirely let go of the concept of being 'proper' about this. Sure, nobody would accuse him with anything, but Prime didn't like gossip.

Starscream stumbled forward a step, just barely saving himself from falling on his face, and he pointed down at his feet and admonished them drunkenly before trying again, staggering out of the room. Many of the other students snickered after him, a few commenting about how he could never hold his high-grade, but the Seeker was thankfully too intoxicated to even hear them, much less respond.

Optimus, on the other hand, did. His blue optics, blazing colder than the void of outer space, flashed at the giggling graduates, and their merriment was cut off immediately. Prime's anger was horrible, and he was respected and loved by all - nobody wanted to oppose him.

Once outside, the big double door swinging shut behind them, Prime placed the trinkets into Starscream's hand, and promptly took him into his strong arms. "Now, show me the way."

Starscream just stared at him for a klik as he was picked up, his central processor struggling to keep up with what was happening. Optimus Prime was holding him - he was not imagining that, nor was he imagining how nice it felt. He had not been held in such strong arms since before Skyfire died. Prime warned him before they left the room that he was going to carry the Seeker, but it was only now that Starscream realized he was serious.

He finally found the processing power to speak and stared blurrily down the corridor both before and behind them before reluctantly admitting he had no idea where they were or where his quarters were, too inebriated to recall. "That way, I think," he hazarded a guess, pointing with the tip of one foot.

Optimus let out an amused sigh. "I hope you'll remember once we're at the student quarter block. I spent some time there myself... I think I can find my way back."

It was kind of nice to hold somebody like that. Elita, while they were together, liked to be handled like a delicate femme at times because Prime never questioned her strength. Once, after too much energon, Optimus even carried Megatron back to their room - the only difference was that his brother was singing rather suggestive Cybertronian folk songs all the while. But it had been so long since he could hold somebody so close... Being Prime was sort of a lonely job. Of course, he was constantly surrounded by mechs of all shape, size and profession, but Megatron was busy with being the Lord High Protector and Elita with being the Security Chief of Iacon. Starscream's slender frame radiated a slight heat - not an unusual thing after too much energon - and he just... fit into his arms. Even with the wings. And now, that he was not scowling and brooding, it became apparent, what a noble, almost delicate face he had.

Starscream curled up a little in the larger mech's arms as he was carried. He immensely enjoyed being held even if he would never admit it out loud - at least, not when he was sober. "You feel nice," he declared, rubbing his dark face against Prime's windshield.

The leader cringed. "T-thank you, but... stop that, please." The affectionate nuzzle felt nice and had a lovely effect on his system, but Optimus deemed it rather inappropriate at the moment.

Starscream gave him a hurt and dejected look but stopped as he was told, lowering his gaze down to his badge which he turned in his hand to watch how the light of the corridors played on its shiny surface.

Optimus sighed again. "Now, don't be so offended. I just don't want to accidentally drop you."

"I'm not movin' that much," Starscream insisted and tried to rub his face against the glass in the other mech's chest again to prove that. He was momentarily distracted when they reached the student barracks, perking up just a little when he remembered where he was. "My quarters're that way." He pointed with his foot again.

Following the directions, Prime soon found his way and the right door. He opened it - at least, that secret security code came in handy once - and entered, letting the door slide closed behind them with a quiet hiss. He located the recharge berth and gently laid the Seeker down. "Now, Starscream, it's time to rest. Tomorrow, you'll feel like slag anyway..." He fondly caressed the dark head.

"But I'm not tired!" the Seeker insisted, sulking. He squirmed on his berth as if to emphasize that and turned his head to rub his face against Optimus' hand. Primus, how he missed being touched like that, and Prime's hands were not too much smaller than Skyfire's.

Bright blue optics widened a bit, and Optimus nearly pulled his hand away... but just nearly. Obviously, Starscream was missing contact, and there was no point in denying it from him until it was something less innocent.

"No, I assume you don't feel tired," he murmured, petting the other's helm, "but still, you should get some rest. You're cratered." However, the younger mech was so cute like that, like a Sparkling pining for affection, that Prime's attention loosened a bit, and his fingers wandered to the side of the dark head.

"Am not," Starscream sulked. He dimmed his optics a little and stayed still save for moving his head a little every few astroseconds, obviously enjoying the petting very much. He had missed it terribly during the time he was grieving for his friend. He and Skyfire were little more than best friends, but Starscream had always been very touch-oriented, and Skyfire knew that and did not mind petting him like this. Even though he was intoxicated, Starscream knew it was the bearer of the Matrix, who was touching him and not Skyfire, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

So... soft, so serene. Optimus traced his fingertips over the edges of the head vents, the forehead ridge... the side of the smooth face. His other hand absent-mindedly began to play with the wings, mapping out the paintjob, fingering the moving parts. Wings, for him were fascinating; neither he nor his friends were built to assume the shape of aircrafts. Some were able to glide, but they were still earthbound. Soaring in the sky or in space was something he could never experience.

Starscream continued to nuzzle his face against Prime's hand, staying quiet and still - until his wings were touched. His wings were nowhere near as sensitive as most Seekers', but another's touch still felt very nice. A shiver in response to the touch went up his wing and through his body, and he tried to turn a little, as far as his other wing and the berth would allow, to push his wing into Optimus' hand.

That reaction finally wrenched Prime back into reality. He gasped lightly and stepped back.

_What the Pit am I doing?_ He scolded himself, almost in panic. _How could I zone out so? I nearly went too far...!_ But soon, he steeled himself and shook his head a bit. "Recharge, Starscream. You need it."

A thin whimper crawled free of Starscream's vocalizer when Prime's hands left him, and he tried to sit up to find that touch again, his expression pleading. He had no idea what he did or said to cause Prime to jerk away from him, but he regretted it. He missed being touched so much.

The panicked expression went straight to the leader's spark, and he leaned above the Seeker, gently pushing him back. "Starscream, what is the matter? Hush, it's alright, I'm here. Be a good mech and switch off." He dared to rest a hand on the red-white shoulder... but nothing more. This was not done! Not even with a sober partner... let alone an overenergized one who probably saw his deceased friend - lover...? - instead of his actual partner.

Starscream reluctantly let him coax him back down though he continued to worry about what he did to cause him to jerk back to begin with. He did not want to upset him any further though and slowly dimmed his optics, raising a hand to touch Prime's as he did so.

The poor thing probably felt very lost and lonely. Optimus gently squeezed Starscream's shoulder, his blue optics radiating warmth. "Hush, it's alright. I'll stay here until you go offline, okay? I'll guard you."

Starscream hesitated before nodding quietly, conceding defeat - he was having trouble keeping his optics online anyway. He sat up again just long enough to adjust his wings so they stuck straight out behind his back and enabled him to lay down on his side where he was more comfortable.

Optimus watched until the slender Seeker was finally steadily resting on his berth, then walked to the side and simply settled down on the floor with his knees pulled up, his elbows resting on them. "May your rest be void of visions," he said quietly.

The Seeker's optics stayed focused on Prime until he finally could not keep them online anymore, dimming them as he finally went offline to sleep off his stupor.

After it was obvious that the young mech was recharging, Prime cautiously, quietly left the room and headed toward his own residence. He should have gone back to the party, probably, but for once, he couldn't give a damn. He needed peace, solitude, and preferably, the biggest cube of max-grade he could find.

He thanked Primus that Starscream just obeyed and didn't do anything... tempting. Optimus knew that he would have engaged into interfacing with him, and that made him feel guilty, confused, and very lost. What happened to his control...? He never swayed like that before. Had it been so long that he last had some... close contact with somebody? Come on.

But facts were facts: the young Seeker was a handsome mech, and his whole attitude, which screamed for attention, was kind of appealing to the leader. He merely wanted to help.

By the time he reached his quarters and sat down with that cube, Optimus already managed to convince himself that that was the exact case, and inwardly, he promised Starscream that he would do anything to help.


	3. Chapter 3

Rector Convoy felt the beginnings of a huge headache forming at the second he laid optics on the weapon master's faceplates twisting with rage, and the pain was hammering his cranial unit with full force by now. Ironhide screamed, cussed, and threatened, Shockwave and Optimus offered no help, and that prissy little- khm, Cadet Starscream's voice had a peculiarly suitable quality to make a mech go at the wall and attempt to claw an exit into it.

"I will not put up with this slagging son of a glitch any longer!!" The weapons master hollered. "Nobody, especially not such a sparkling heap of slag has the right to question my methods! I've been teaching mechs to shoot long before your creator got the idea of making such a fragging, slag-spewing-"

"Maybe if your methods weren't so archaic and primitive, I wouldn't have to question them!" the equally enraged Seeker snapped in response. His wings were hiked up as high as they would go on his back to show his annoyance. "You hardly take into account the vast differences between the systems of a groundling such as yourself and a flier - our systems are immensely different, yet you instruct the exact same way!" At this, he jabbed an accusatory finger into Ironhide's chest, his other hand balled into a fist, which rested on his red hip. "For that matter, it's simply preposterous that a groundling is coming up with aerial strike maneuvers - how could you possibly know what we are and aren't capable of?"

The air began to tremble around the red mech's frame, Rector Convoy leaned forward with widening optics, and Optimus and Shockwave moved in unison, seizing both cannons on the weapon master's arm. If they haven't done it, the good old Ironhide surely would have blown the cocky Seeker's head off.

"Now, Cadet Starscream," Convoy shook his head, rubbing his temple. "You forgot where your place is AGAIN. First, this is the War Academy, and you simply cannot talk back to your instructors! And second, Ironhide teaches you basic sharpshooting which is not entirely different for ground-bound and airborne soldiers. Also, he had been working for many millennia now, and his students tend to be the most excellent ones."

He sank back into his chair and shook his head. "I'm at my wit's end with what to do with you. Cadet Starscream, you are a menace." He pulled out a few datapads from the drawer of the desk and began to study them. "Hallway and bar fights, disrespect toward teachers and students alike, antisocial behavior, recklessness... You have made quite a list." He looked up. "It seems as if you won't like to be the student of the Academy... Certainly, you're not making an effort. Your grades are all excellent, but that alone will not make up for your lack of discipline. This is the army, and the army doesn't need rebels, if you understand what I'm implying."

"He says you'll fly from the Academy if you don't get a better brain module-to-vocalizer filter!" Ironhide sneered, arms twitching in the grip of the two other teachers.

Starscream was less than impressed, and his expression as he turned his attention to Convoy spoke volumes of his disdain for this whole meeting. "In case your head was wedged too far up your aft to notice, I didn't start those fights," he snapped. His fiery spirit was not quashed so swiftly, not even by the headmaster of the academy who he held no more respect for than anyone else. "And the instructors are more interested in clinging to ancient ideals than making technological progress."

The Rector's optics darkened, and he slammed the datapads down. "Nobody is forcing you to stay here, Cadet! If you're so displeased with our ways, you're free to go!"

He would have continued, but Optimus stepped in. "Please, Rector Convoy, calm down a little," he pleaded. "Starscream is a difficult student, but his potential is undeniable. It wouldn't look good if he got kicked from the Iacon Academy. I'd like to speak to him, and see if I can do anything about those... issues." He glanced back at the Seeker, optics cold and threatening. "Give me three orns. After that, we'll see if he can change his attitude or he should be, indeed, removed."

Starscream's dark face twisted into a brief scowl to match the Matrix bearer's glare before he turned away with a huff. "I do not need to be defended," he scoffed. For once though, he actually stopped himself before he said anything worse though he was not sure why. For some reason, his temper always seemed to fizzle out when confronted by Optimus, and Prime was one of the very few instructors he had not had a heated argument with.

True, one can't really argue with history, or law- but Prime also had an admirable patience, and a real passion for teaching.

Convoy rubbed his temple again. His headache rose into new, unexplored heights. "Very well, Prime, I cannot keep you from doing that-"

"But I doubt you'll achieve anything!" Ironhide cut in with a growl. Optimus placed a hand on the red shoulder.

"I'll never know if I don't try, my friend," he said softly, then turned back to Rector who sighed.

"I'll give him three orns of special leave. And after that, if he provokes one more argument with an instructor... He'll have to leave for good."

"Fair enough," Optimus nodded and he took Starscream by the arm. "We'll waste no time, then. Have a nice day, you all." Convoy merely nodded, Ironhide saluted, and Shockwave bowed lightly as the leader left, pulling the Seeker after him.

Starscream gave an embarrassing and indignant squawk as he was pulled along, digging his turbines into the floor in an attempt to wrench his arm away from Prime. "Let go of me!" He was no match for Optimus' strength, however, and failed tremendously in his efforts as he was dragged out of the room.

"You better not say a word," Optimus warned him, his voice cool and low. "You better not say a word." He dragged the Seeker out of sight, to a dark corner which was located in a rather deserted corridor, and promptly flung him around, pressing Starscream against the wall. The blue optics shone in the semi-darkness, with irritation... and sadness. "I thought you really wanted to be a soldier."

Starscream opened his mouth to snap something cutting, but he snapped it back shut with a flinch at the intense blue optics staring him down. He leaned back as far as the wall would allow, for once gauging his words carefully before he dared to speak, "I do." He had many things he wanted to add to that, but they all died in his vocalizer as soon as he tried to say them. Why was it so hard to stay indignant and self-assured around Prime? He never had this problem with anyone else.

"I've always tried to help you, Starscream," Optimus said quietly. "I tried to be there for you, I even tried to calm down those whom you managed to offend, piss off, hurt, and beat up. I've considered your excellent marks and kept on waiting, hoping that you will change - but you disappointed me." The last words fell like stones, cold and heavy. "I went as far as I could without blatantly favoring you, a student of mine, or bending the rules, but this has to end. Either you can make an effort and change, or you will be excused for the rest of your life. Convoy will make sure no other school will accept you, and this will bring shame both on the Academy... and you."

The Seeker's wings stiffened, and his thrusters rumbled as they always did when any emotion - usually anger - threatened to overwhelm his processor. "Maybe you shouldn't try so hard," he hissed quietly. "I told you the first day we met that you were wasting your time on me. Perhaps you're the one who made the mistake." The last words came from his vocalizer unsteadily. After that first day, he had never accused Prime of wasting his time and efforts on him - in fact, he seemed to enjoy his attention and company. Now, he seemed to be trying to push the other mech away. He seemed to push everyone away - as a science student, he had a select few acquaintances from before Skyfire's death, but afterwards, especially at the War Academy, he appeared to go out of his way to avoid any sort of relationship with any other mech, deliberately arguing or fighting to ensure that.

Prime took a step back. For a moment, rage flared up in him, then searing pain - Starscream's words were open rejection. He didn't want any help, any care. But it subsided quickly. The leader let out a long sigh and looked away - though his back was still straight.

"Maybe that is the case," he admitted. "I couldn't explain why I decided to be your self-appointed guardian - maybe it was a mistake." He looked back up, into the Seeker's optics. "But still, your potential, your talent should not be wasted. Please Starscream, consider it - just count to ten before you insult another mech."

Starscream's turbines rumbled louder, and the vents on his shoulders hissed to life to cool his anger-heated systems. "It is being wasted, sir. I have made my suggestions on improvements or additions only to be ignored or ridiculed - your so-called friends are so thick-headed and set in their ways that I have to insult them to get their undivided attention. Oh, but Primus forbid they admit their own flaws - no, it's always Starscream's fault." He looked away, shifting uncomfortably under the intense blue gaze. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're just the same as them."

Prime's vents hummed up as well, and he narrowed his optics. The Seeker's words wounded his ego, and albeit they did carry some truth, they only spoke of Starscream's arrogance.

"So that's your problem, that nobody listens to you, and they don't admire you and make you feel like the world revolves around you?" He asked, with a hard edge in his voice. "Well, let me ask you one thing, Starscream: have you thought about that if you could talk to others with a proper manner, not the usual glitching and accusing and demanding tone, they might, I don't know, actually listen...? Mechs all around the Academy hate you, because you don't seem to be able to convey your ideas without hurting others. Including me."

"I don't need anyone but myself," the Seeker snapped in response. "I made my suggestions civilly only to be ignored as I just told you, but even you see fit to only hear what you want. It's clear that now that Skyfire's gone, the only one I can rely on anymore is myself, so why should I waste the time and effort it takes to act civilly toward those who won't take the equal time and effort to listen?" He crossed his arms over his cockpit and met Prime's glare with one of his own. "If you truly thought you were going to drag me out here to talk some sense into me, you failed and only further proved to me that I'm better off alone."

"How long are you going to wail for Skyfire, and refuse anybody else?" Prime asked, his volume rising - which was alarming enough because he never raised his voice. "Face it finally, you are a horrible mech, because you WANT to be that! You do that on purpose; you want others to listen, and yet, you can't stand it if they want to get closer to you! I've talked to professors who admitted that your ideas were valid, but your cockiness made them put you off. A young femme came to me shivering, telling me that she just wanted to ask you out for a drink, and you told her to go to the Pit and burn there. What is your aim, Starscream? What?!"

Starscream's shrill voice softened to little more than a whisper as his red optics flashed. "I don't have to defend myself to you or anyone else." It seemed as if Optimus struck a nerve there - Starscream never lowered his voice unless he was upset, and his optics betrayed a deep, aching hurt, the wound left by Skyfire's death still not healed even after so long. There was also fear though not fear of Prime himself. He tried to end the conversation there, sliding sideways along the wall to try to duck around the other mech to leave.

But he was grabbed by the shoulder, and Prime gently forced him back. "Do I have to give you a few cubes so you'll talk...?" he asked. "Starscream, please... tell me what's on your spark. Let me help you. You crave attention, and if it means anything, I'm willing to give it. Let us work this out. Just this once, try to open up a little." He wanted to see the Seeker relieved from the horrible tension he carried. Optimus didn't know what was the exact cause, but he figured this tension made Starscream so snappy and arrogant.

The Seeker jerked at the other mech's touch and tried to squirm away from him, favoring him with a heated glare. "Let go of me - why should you care? Why, of all mechs, did you have to single me out to obsess over?!" He ended up pressed against the wall again, hunkering down a little as if he was attempting to merge with the metal behind him.

That was... a very good question. Optimus' grip loosened a little, and he looked away. Indeed, why? Why did he feel proud when Starscream was announced to be the best in class again? Why was he so sad when another professor was cursing the Seeker for his attitude? Why did he want Starscream to find happiness, solace, a better life, full of what everybody else desired - fame, friends, a partner...? Just why...?

"Starscream, I..." The words died in his vocalizer. Prime slowly raised his hand to cup the dark face gently. "I don't know." _Lie._ "Probably I have no right to interfere with your life and decisions. But I know that I want to see you happy. Because I believe that you deserve it. Because I believe in you." The blue optics shone.

If Starscream was going to say something cutting, it died in his vocal processor when Prime touched his face. Instead, he said unsteadily, his vocalizer wavering, "You're wasting your time. Not everyone deserves it." He squirmed uncomfortably under that piercing blue gaze, trying to free himself again though he lost his vigor, so his struggles were barely that.

"Stop telling your leader what he should do. I got my position for a reason." Optimus moved closer, and touched his forehead against the Seeker's. "Don't you want to, perchance, make yourself believe that you ARE worth my time...? It'd help a lot if you grew some self-confidence."

Starscream flinched again but quit trying to pull away since it was futile at this point, instead powering down his optics so he would not have to keep looking into Prime's. The way those blue optics made him feel scared him. "I killed Skyfire," he finally snapped, his wings starting to tremble. "I don't want to go through that again - I'd rather be alone."

"What are you talking about...?" Prime tightened his hold a bit. "That is nonsense, Starscream. You did everything for him - you nearly died yourself. Do you think he'd accuse you with anything like that...? Let go of that guilt. And if you want to be alone, why are you so desperately trying to get others into noticing you? Like this, you'll never be alone, you'll be surrounded by hate and gossip, following you even into the solitude of your own quarters."

"If I drive them away myself, then I can be positive I'll stay alone - I don't care what they think of me as long as they stay away from me!" He knew his way of thinking was a paradox - he wanted nothing to do with other mechs, but he still wanted his ideas to be heard because he truly wanted to improve on the old methods plaguing the Academy. He hated how disjointed and illogical it was, but he was acting on emotion, and emotion was never something he handled well, so he had tried to isolate it and only show anger and annoyance. "Are you happy? Can I go now?"

"Not until you answer me: Do you think you'd be able to kill me?"

That made the Seeker's optics come online again so he could stare in bewilderment at Optimus for a klik. He had certainly not expected that and at first was unsure how to respond. He had convinced himself Skyfire's death was all his doing - he signed them up for the expedition, he insisted they land to survey the planet, and he gave up searching. "Not consciously," Starscream finally admitted. "I can't speak for stupid mistakes."

"Then," Optimus smiled, "Do you think I'm smart enough to notice those stupid mistakes?"

Starscream flinched and looked away again as his wings' trembling increased in intensity. "Skyfire was - he still died."

The leader nearly gave up at that point. For a fleeting moment, he just wanted to let go and walk away with the bitter defeat - he was a politician, not a medic, he was not able to rid Starscream of the terrible fear which rooted deep in his processors...! As a last resort, he offered another question. "Maybe because there was no mistake made...?"

Starscream opened his mouth to counter that, but no words came. He could name every single mistake he made that lead to Skyfire's death - signing them up for the expedition in the first place, insisting they land, suggesting they separate to cover the planet faster - but Prime's words were slowly getting to him, and inwardly, he questioned where the line was between a mistake and an accident.

"Stop torturing yourself," Prime pleaded. "Let go of the guilt, and honor Skyfire the best way - remember him, but make the best of your own life. I'm sure he'd be very sad if he saw that you're still accusing yourself for his death. And if you accept, I'd gladly be the first mech you call a friend. It'd be an honor. And I assure you, I'm very hard to finish off." He chuckled and softly stoked Starscream's cheek with his thumb. "Please, accept my offer."

Starscream's optics dimmed again, and the tremors spread from his wings to the rest of his body in response to Prime's touch. Without thinking, he turned his face into the other mech's hand not unlike he had the night of graduation. That was the main negative part of being alone - he so missed being touched, and Prime's touch was just like Skyfire's. "You'll regret it," he muttered though the tone of his vocalizer indicated even he was not quite convinced of that.

"Only if you make me," Optimus whispered. He felt strange - giddy and dizzy, his insides twisted, but not entirely uncomfortably. His free hand found its way around the Seeker's slender waist, and Prime pulled the younger mech even closer. "I trust you - and I only ask for your trust in return." Suddenly, his faceplate split and retracted, revealing a handsome face beneath. "Look at me. Only my friends can see me without the mask because they get to see the mech and not just the Prime."

The Seeker stiffened and stared dumbfounded as the Matrix bearer's face was revealed to him. He could not fathom that Prime really trusted him that much, yet the proof was right in front of him. He was so taken aback that he did not check his vocalizer before blurting out, "That thing actually comes off?" _Smooth, Screamer_, he growled at himself. Trust him to ruin the moment.

Optimus threw his head back and laughed from his spark. His hold turned into an affectionate bear hug, and he smiled at the Seeker, quickly nuzzling his face. "Yes, it does. So, what do you say? Will you try, will you make an effort? In exchange, I'll talk to your professors and convince them to try to tolerate your temper to a degree - but don't forget, this is the military, and an army is nothing without disciple."

Starscream wanted to protest or argue or say anything to show he did not like having to reign in his personality for anyone, but the way Prime held and nuzzled him momentarily fried the Seeker's logic circuits, and all he could bring himself to do was to mutter dumbly, "I...I'll try."

"Remember those words," Optimus nodded and stepped back, snapping his faceplate back into place. "Now, come. We have three orns to discuss everything what bothers you about the Academy's ways."


	4. Chapter 4

The War Academy's library was a vast sea of knowledge both old and new contained within a jungle of shelves, data pads, and ladders. It was separated into various wings with the oldest files kept in an archive at the very back of the library, and the shelves there were tightly packed together and provided very little room for moving between them. Few bothered to make the trek both because of the lack of room and because the files were kept mainly for archival purposes and rarely because they held any sort of value.

Foul Cybertronian oaths drifted through the air from the archives accompanied by a steady mechanical whine, both sounds originating from a very perturbed Seeker hovering near the ceiling as he begrudgingly searched for the proper homes for his armful of data pads. He probably should have used the ladder rather than flying, but he was not here by choice and most certainly was not going to waste energy climbing up and down when he had perfectly functioning turbines and wings.

Reciting another round of expletives, Starscream angrily shoved one datapad into its proper spot and drifted sideways to search for the next file's home.

However, he had to notice the company leaning against the doorframe when the intruder cleared his vocalizer. "Language," Optimus warned Starscream with a smile that was visible now; the leader had gotten used to exposing his face when it was strictly only the two of them present.

"I hope you know that turbine heat could damage the pads," Prime added as he picked up a few of the said items from the ground. "'The Philosophy of Ground Warfare'. It was written by Lord High Protector Decimus. What is this doing here - it's an antique edition..." He subspaced the pads then looked up at the Seeker. "How is it going, Starscream?"

The annoyed Seeker tightened his hold on his vocal processor before he snapped something rude and cutting, instead grinding out, "Of course I know that - that's why I'm redirecting the majority of the heat through all of my vents so it's less concentrated and dissipates more quickly." He all but threw another pad into its proper place then grabbed three off the top of his armful before searching for their homes. "How does it look like it's 'going'? I could be using this time doing something worthwhile, but no."

Also, Prime had become pretty good in ignoring the Seeker's constant bitching. Actually, it looked sort of nice on Starscream... How he pouted, pursing his lips, how he narrowed his optics... "Well-well. Maybe next time you'll think twice before calling your aerial maneuver instructor a 'sick techno-vulture'. She really took it on her spark." Optimus picked up another pad and set it on the shelf in its proper place.

"But she is!" Starscream sulked, his shrill voice adding to the piteous whine. "And everybody knows it! I'm just the only one who actually dared to say it!" His wings drooped a little as he pouted and returned to his task, finding the proper place for the three pads. He frowned at the one under them and muttered. "What are you doing here..." He lifted his head again and quickly scanned over the large shelf he was facing to see if it even belonged in that part of the archives.

"Came to check on you," Optimus said, as he took an armful of pads and began to sort them. "And if I may remark, Lady Sixwing is a femme, your instructor, and is supposed to help those who are a little slower on the uptake... It's not her fault you cannot stay in line. You should get excused from all flying-related classes."

Starscream flickered his optics at Prime in brief confusion before shaking his head. "I meant this data pad - it doesn't go here." He glanced over his shoulder through the tiny amount of space between his head and shoulder vent to see if the shelf behind him was where it belonged. "And my opinion still stands." He took the misplaced pad and, without thinking, tried to turn in mid-air to put it in its place. He forgot how little space there was between the shelves for even a normal mech, and thanks to his wings, he was nearly twice the width of a normal mech.

So, the slender appendage's tip got precisely and very securely caught in a small gap. Now, Seekers need their wings more in their alt forms, but they also used them in standard mode - to steer and whatnot. Starscream lost his balance, and as he struggled to get it back and free his wing, he managed to pull the tall, heavy shelf quite forcefully.

The flooring in the cellar was also ancient, it had cracks and a few missing pieces. Everything was given for a perfect little disaster, and Fate seldom left such opportunities to pass. The shelf tilted, and slowly, majestically began to fall. Soon enough, the pads slipped off, showering on the ground, and Optimus's warning came just in time. "Starscream, look out!"

Starscream felt his wing get caught and instinctively tried to wrench it loose. It was only when he heard the clattering of falling data pads that he realized what he had done. He looked sharply back to the shelf just in time to hear Prime's warning, and his first thought was to try to brace himself against it to stop its tilt, but he knew it was too late and instead tried to drop down to the floor to quickly get out from under it.

However, the room was entirely too stuffed to maneuver around airborne. Prime realized this, and he decided to save what he can - he reached up and wrenched the Seeker close, pushing him on the floor while he himself leaned above the more slender form.

The shriek of the metal and the loud clattering of the falling pads intensified, and the knocked over shelf collided with a standing one. It broke the fall, but Prime couldn't sigh in relief - suddenly, the shelf screamed and broke into two, the lower part coming down hard and fast. Optimus felt a horrible hit on his back, and he cried out - but he stood his ground.

Dust flew up, in a thick cloud, and from far away, alarmed cries could be heard.

Starscream powered his optics on again once he thought everything had finished falling and started when he saw Optimus over him and the remainder of the shelf on top of them both. He let out a pained hiss as he suddenly registered a sharp pain in his left wing. He could not see what was wrong with it, but for it to hurt that much, he knew it was bad, but he also knew Prime had to be in worse shape. The Seeker carefully lifted a hand to touch Optimus' side and asked slowly, "Are you okay?"

The answer was written on the handsome face. Optimus had offlined his optics, his arms were shaking, trying to oppose the pressure from the heavy shelf, his side had a small scratch, the wires sizzling inside, spitting blue sparks. The leader was gritting his teeth and his voice was strained as he finally replied. "Fine... you should... try and... crawl out…"

Starscream wanted to argue that the other mech certainly did not sound "fine", but he knew better. The sooner he was out from under Optimus, the sooner the red mech could get himself out. Ignoring the pain in his wing, Starscream carefully pushed himself out from under Prime and the shelf so he could get help.

Optimus growled, and as soon as the Seeker was in safely, his elbow buckled. He fell forward, nearly hitting his head on the floor. Primus damn it... He wasn't weak, but this was so not a good position to use his strength...

As soon as he could stand without catching his wings on anything else, Starscream jumped up and rushed around the mess to get help. He knew he could not get Prime out by himself and hoped there was someone close by who was strong enough.

Fortunately, many noticed the crash and help was already there. The soldiers freed Prime in a few minutes, and he and the Seeker were dragged away by the young medic present to the medbay.

As soon as he could stand - though a little wobbly - Optimus immediately searched for Starscream. "What about you? Are you alright, no major injuries...?"

"I've been better," Starscream declared in a voice tight with pain. His left wing was bent badly when the shelf tilted while he was still caught in it, but the medics were nearly finished working it back into its proper shape. "What about you?" the Seeker asked, focusing his attention on Prime.

"My entire back is one huge dent, and my arms ache but that will pass." Prime looked down at the medic's steady hands working swiftly on his torn side. "That wound will be tender for a few orns, but it could have been worse."

Starscream let out a sigh and allowed himself to relax as best he could while the medic finished bending his wing back into place. It was going to be tender for quite a while, and he doubted he would be able to fly without pain for several orns. "I guess I asked for that," he grumbled angrily. "Sorry you got caught in it too." He could imagine though what would have happened had Optimus not been there to keep the shelf from falling completely on him, and the thought was not pleasant.

"Actually... You followed my order immediately." The leader carefully turned, and the medic began to pry off the armor plating from his back. It was indeed badly dented, and probably, the circuitry underneath it was damaged as well. "Others might have hesitated, but you immediately did what I told you. Didn't waste any time with asking questions and worrying. That is a good trait in a soldier, assessing the situation correctly."

The Seeker frowned at that, less than convinced. As far as he was concerned, if he had "assessed the situation correctly", he would have realized he did not have room to turn in the first place and the whole situation could have been avoided, but he knew Prime was just trying to help, so he kept that thought to himself. Instead, Starscream sighed again, "Probably going to make me spend the next half a dozen orns cleaning it up and fixing the data pads now." He had projects he would rather focus on than clean-up duty though even he knew better than to complain much - it was his mess, after all.

"That is highly possible," Optimus admitted and winced a bit as the plating finally came off. "But, I'll help a little. After all, I distracted you." He waited until the medic moved away a bit and glanced at the Seeker. "I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt."

"Likewise. I'll just be sore when I fly for a while." Starscream glanced over to his wing when the medic was finished. It would need to be repainted too, the paint scraped and flaking thanks to the damage. He muttered his thanks to the medic and dropped down from the table to step closer to Prime though he was careful to stay out of the other medics' way.

"Shame, shame, you'll be forced to use the ladder." Prime's voice was full of amusement. He reached out, after Starscream's hand. "Can I ask a favor from you?"

Starscream scowled, hating the thought though he knew he had better if only to prevent that from happening again. "Huh? What is it?" he asked, confused. He flickered his optics stupidly at Prime's hand but did not pull away, letting the other mech hold his own.

"Go back to the archive, help them collect the damaged pads, and then report back to me. Tell them it's my order. Also, if they find something out of place like these..." He pulled the pads from subspace and handed them over. "Tell me about it, too. And please, take these to the ancient archives - room b64, if I remember correctly. These belong there."

Starscream nodded and took the data pads Optimus was holding. "Alright, if I can ask a favor from you too." He would do what he was told regardless, but this was the best opportunity he had had in a while to ask.

"Naturally." Prime's smile was honest. "What would it be?"

"If you have the time later, could you come by my quarters?" Starscream asked, careful to keep his expression blank to hide the fact that he was a little nervous asking this of the Matrix bearer. "I'm working on something, and I'd like your opinion."

"Sure. I don't see a reason not to." Optimus nodded. "I'm honored that you'd like to show me one of your projects. I'll drop by in a few orns, after classes, would that be alright? When I'll be able to walk properly." He winced again and glanced back at the medic. "I hope there aren't many other spots like that..."

"No, sir, rest assured. This one was the worst." Prime let out a relived sigh.

The Seeker nodded. "That would be fine." It would give him time to actually clean up his quarters too since they were rather cluttered with his various projects in varying states of production. Satisfied, Starscream started out to see to the task he had been assigned. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be expecting you," Optimus called after him, then let his head fall on the berth. "Primus, I could use a warm oil bath right now..."

Starscream returned as quickly as he could. He stepped over to Optimus and reported, "There were another dozen out of place like the ones you gave me - I put them where they belonged."

Prime was now lying on his back, relaxing. "Hmm. The keepers of the archives obviously didn't do a very good job. Thank you, Starscream." He struggled up. "Now, as I'm the Leader of Cybertron, and as such, can even order the honorable Rector Convoy around... I'm relieving you from your punishment for the rest of this orn. You need to rest a little bit, anyway. And I want you to do your best on tomorrow's test, too. Could you escort me to my private quarters? My back is still sore, and it wouldn't do any good to my image if I fell flat on my face."

"You don't have to do that though I do appreciate it," Starscream responded. He reached over to help Prime sit up though, nodding to his request. "Of course." He was actually rather elated at that request - he had no idea where Prime's quarters were and was about to find out.

"Thank you." Optimus stood and stretched, then twitched and clicked painfully. "Warn me next time if I'm being such a sparkling..." He shook his head and waving goodbye to the medics and started to walk toward the quarters of the teachers. "Starscream..." he began, after a few minutes "May I ask what you are working on?"

Starscream looked up at him then back down the corridor. "A...lot of things on and off," he admitted. "The one that's closest to completion though is a weapon I got the idea for in one of Ironhide's drills. Then there's something I thought of as an upgrade for someone in my aerial maneuvers class."

"Oh?" Optimus quirked an optic ridge at that. "Neither is something one would expect from you. You've made me curious."

The Seeker shot him a glare and huffed indignantly though he knew he deserved that. "He's having trouble keeping up with everyone else because of a structural flaw. If this works, it'll bypass that as well as make him valuable in combat." He moved his gaze back down the corridor. "Besides, it would suit him given his name."

"Don't be offended," Prime pleaded softly, running a hand down the other's arm. "It is nice of you that you think about your teammate. Seekers are never loners. And pray tell me, who is this unfortunate classmate?"

"Skywarp." The Seeker shrugged uncomfortably. "He's not particularly bright either - he'll never pass without help."

"Be there for him," Optimus suggested. "Making allies is an advantage in military schooling. Who knows what he will become... I remember him; indeed not the greatest student when it comes to theoretical subjects, but he excels in the practical ones." He paused a little. "I think you could make him a fine soldier."

Starscream frowned at that. He thought Prime was reading a little too much into it, but he did not comment. "He's not exactly smart, but he tries his hardest even though that techno-vulture of an instructor keeps making him perform maneuvers she knows he hasn't gotten the hang of yet or doesn't understand."

"Maybe she's trying to get him into practicing...?" Prime suggested. Sixwing WAS a good instructor; Seekers she trained were the best.

"Maybe," Starscream muttered. He doubted it - he had seen Skywarp practicing between classes. "It won't make any difference if this upgrade works anyway, but I won't know until I've installed it in him. I've designed it according to his structural flaw, so I can't test it myself."

"Perhaps it'd be good to consult with a medic before?" Prime pondered. "Any upgrade could twist one's insides, and I'm sure you don't want to hurt Skywarp. I doubt that'd do any good to your reputation." He turned left on the corridor, and eventually stopped in front of a door. This was his temporary accommodation for the time he taught on the Academy. It was easier to have a room here than coming in every morning.

"I was going to ask a medic to oversee the installation when I was finished." Starscream looked up at the door, taking note of its number and how they got there for future reference. "Will that be all?"

"For the time being. Thank you, Starscream." Optimus smiled. "Have a good rest, and we'll meet tomorrow in class."

"You too - see you then." Starscream nodded and turned to head back to his own quarters, his wings betraying his elation that Prime was actually looking forward to seeing some of his projects.


	5. Chapter 5

Starscream's quarters were at the very back of the Academy's student wing, far away from the bustle of the main halls in a quiet corner. He liked the air of solitude that section of the wing held and even asked for his quarters specifically when he first arrived at the Academy. It helped that his neighboring classmates were also quiet, so the location was perfect for working on his various projects in private or simply for thinking.

Currently though, he was making a great deal of noise. The Seeker had only a few breems to rearrange his quarters into some semblance of order. He swore fervently and repeatedly, cursing his instructor for keeping him behind after class - it robbed him of all the time he had originally scheduled for cleaning up in preparation for Optimus Prime's visit. It needed to be cleaned anyway, and he originally was going to do a thorough sprucing up, but he no longer had time. Now, he frantically shoved scraps of wires, discarded data pads, tools, and other pieces of machinery of which he could not recall the origin here and there - some went under his recharge berth, and some went into piles in the darkest corners in the hopes that it would not be noticed.

For his greatest luck, Prime had an errand to run before he could have headed towards the student quarters. And on the way there, a few mechs stopped him, asking questions, whining, begging for chances- woah. Even Optimus' legendary patience had started to wear thin.

Eventually, and a lot later than he liked, he reached the Seeker's door, and fighting off the guilt - he was NEVER late - he raised his hand to knock... Then, he heard the noise and the cursing. Prime grinned beneath his mask, and decided to wait a few more minutes.

The oaths became fouler when Starscream noticed the time. He was actually thankful Prime was running late, but that only meant he had even less time to finish rearranging all of his junk as he was sure the Matrix bearer would arrive any astrosecond. A crash rang through the room as he threw something into a corner to get it out of his way, and the crash was followed by a frustrated growl. He was beginning to wonder if he was just making it worse. Prime was going to think he was a slob if he saw this.

Finally, the noises and swearing wound down as Starscream rearranged the piles in the corners into somewhat neat stacks in the hopes that they would look less like an accumulation of junk and more like they were supposed to be like that.

Prime shook his head, entirely too amused to be angry or anything. He knocked on the door firmly, and waited, his hands locked behind his back.

The door opened quickly, and Starscream looked up at Prime calmly, hiding his initial panic at hearing the knock on the door. "Good day, sir," he greeted then stepped aside so Optimus could enter.

"Good day, Starscream," Optimus kept on smiling. "I apologize for being late, I was held up. I hope, it's not too late, I wouldn't want to keep you from your daily routines, or studying..."

Starscream shook his head. "It's no trouble - I was running a little late too." Well, it was true. That stupid son of a glitch instructor just insisted on keeping him behind simply because the Seeker dared to call him on some misinformation during the day's lecture. "Sorry for the mess."

"I've seen worse," Prime shook his head, but wisely refused to share his experiences in detail. "At least, it shows that you're busy, working on a lot of things. I'm curious about your weapon."

"It's over here." Starscream closed the door behind Prime and went over to a small table tucked against one wall. On it were some large, neatly stacked data pads which he had used to sketch out the blueprints for his various projects, and beside them was a single weapon still in construction. It looked to be comprised of nothing but a long barrel half the length of Starscream's arm.

"I haven't figured out the kinks yet," the Seeker reluctantly stated as he picked up the weapon. "And I don't have a name for it yet, but if it does what I want it to, it will have a function to fire a concentrated EM pulse to momentarily freeze electronic and motor function. It wouldn't be strong enough to be fatal, but it could paralyze an enemy soldier easily."

"Especially effective against enemy Seekers," Prime nodded. "You are made to be airborne to your last screw. I won't be surprised if you made it to Air Commander." He examined the gun, carefully taking it up. "I'm not much of the expert, but the concept is very good. You should show this to somebody who could effectively help you with it."

Starscream shifted where he stood, a little embarrassed. "You flatter me unnecessarily..." He shook his head and looked down at the weapon. "The only one I could show it to who'd understand it is Ironhide, and you know what terms we're on." He was quite certain Ironhide would not deign to look at it much less admit it was a worthwhile concept simply because Starscream was the inventor.

"And what about... Wheeljack?" Prime had to think for a moment; the inventor just recently came to the Academy, and he didn't plan on staying - he was new to teaching and only was employed as a substitute. "He seems to be quite a brilliant inventor himself; I think you should seek him out. Probably, he's unaware of your reputation, too, so he won't reject you immediately."

"Wheeljack?" Starscream tilted his head a little, running the name through his databanks. "I've heard of him, but isn't he more a physicist and roboticist?" He thought a weapons specialist would be the most qualified, but still, it was worth a try - what was the worst that could happen other than the Seeker making yet another enemy? That was nothing new.

"I hear he has a reputation, too, with blowing himself, his labs, and his quarters up. That sounds promising from your point of view." Optimus placed the weapon down and let his faceplate retract. "For some unexplainable reason, I feel proud when you achieve something, Starscream," he confessed quietly. "I hope you don't find it too intruding. And, once the weapon is functional, I could show it to Ironhide."

Starscream at first wanted to tell off the other mech for his first comment, but the second made him stop and look slightly more embarrassed. Inwardly though, he was elated that Optimus still thought so highly of him even given his behavior and how many enemies he made and still had. Most of the instructors were still hostile toward him - not that he was any less so towards them. "I...thank you, sir," the Seeker finally responded, shuffling one foot on the floor. "I hope I don't let you down."

"You just did," the leader scowled, but his optics were glinting mischievously. "I don't have the mask on, so you're supposed to call me...?"

The Seeker's wings stiffened as he stammered in response, "S-Sorry, Optimus." It still felt so wrong to call the Matrix bearer by his true name, but he was slowly getting used to it.

"Thank you," Prime nodded and took the liberty of settling down. "Now, tell me the exact concept, maybe I can pick up a few things from the explanation..."

Starscream looked back down at his weapon then lifted it to connect it to a port in his arm. "It goes here connected to one of my secondary power cables. It'll draw its energy from my backup systems though not enough to worry about depleting them unless I fire it too much. It fires a concentrated EM pulse. The energy would short out the minor systems of an enemy soldier, temporarily paralyzing him, or completely short out standard machinery and computers."

Optimus listened and nodded, though as Starscream went on, toward the more difficult mechanisms, he obviously lost the thread. He was a good politician, and he could repair a few things, but he was not an engineer.

"Alright, alright," he stopped the Seeker eventually. "I think my processor will fry out if I try to follow you any longer. It sounds well-thought, too. Talk to Wheeljack; I'll even help if I can, and we'll take it to Ironhide when it's ready."

Starscream nodded and removed the weapon from his arm, setting it back on the table. "I'll do that - do you know what his schedule is?" He was eager to finish it now that he had Optimus' approval. It was rare that he could mix his studies at the War Academy with his true passion for science.

"Not yet - a shame, but I haven't really talked to him aside formalities - but I'll figure it out." Optimus stretched a bit, moving his shoulders; they felt a little stiff recently. "Is there anything else? Oh, how are the upgrades improving?"

"Skywarp's? I got approval from a medic for it - we're just trying to schedule the procedure." Starscream let out a small noise of frustration. "Which would be easier if he could remember what day it is from one klik to the next."

Prime chuckled. True, Skywarp was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was disciplined when the situation called for it, and he was a good flier as well. "Maybe you could simply drag him off," he offered.

"That's what I'm going to have to do," Starscream grumbled and shook his head. "Thundercracker will probably want to come along too." He saw no reason to deny him as long as he stayed out of the way.

"They seem to be close," Optimus nodded, absent-mindedly rubbing his shoulders. He never cared for student affairs, until it hindered their paying attention - he had snapped on lovebirds before. Of course, he knew it was hard to control emotions like love, or worry, but the young mechs were here to learn, first and foremost, and not to stare at each other with pink optics.

"He feels responsible for him for some reason - probably because Skywarp won't be responsible for himself." Starscream frowned and stepped closer Optimus, reaching up to touch the shoulder that seemed to be bothering him the most. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "You didn't injure yourself, did you? If I'm keeping you from the medbay..."

"Ah, no, not at all." Optimus shook his head. "Maybe I'll let somebody have a look at it, but it's nothing major... just some soreness. Most probably, it's some faint aftereffect of our little accident in the library. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure."

The Seeker was not so easily deterred. He had some basic medical knowledge due to his past as an explorer since he and Skyfire needed to be able to repair each other, so he tried to get a closer look at Prime's shoulder to see what the problem was.

The leader let him. The careful touches on his plating felt nice... the energy fields mixing, intensifying by the contact. He even felt a little better. "Do you want to look under the armor, too?"

Starscream nodded. "I think I can see the problem, but the armor's in my way." He waited for the other mech to comply before looking more closely, frowning at what he saw. "The primary power cable is out of place...I can try to fix it unless you'd rather a medic look at instead."

Optimus peered back over his shoulder, squinting to see his exposed inner circuitry. "Do you think you can do it...?"

"Hmm..." Starscream carefully pried apart the circuitry in his way as best he could, but the cable remained just out of reach of his fingers. "I'm going to try something - this might feel a little strange." He concentrated his energy field into his hand, focusing on his fingers to try to stimulate the cable back into place. He was not quite sure what it would feel like and was afraid it would hurt, but he trusted Prime to tell him if it did.

A gasp answered him, and the leader's frame tensed up - then swiftly relaxed, slumping forward, supported by both strong arms. Prime let his head fall forward, and a small whirr escaped his vocalizer. It felt nice. Not just nice, but nice-nice, soothing, warm... enticing. Medics hardly ever let their energy field loose like that - unless specifically needed - so most mechs only felt something like this in... intimate situations. Though the shoulder was not the most sensitive part of Optimus, Starscream's energy still managed to make his ventilation hum softly, and his optics to shut off from the bliss.

Starscream frowned at the other mech's reaction but continued what he was doing once he was convinced it was not one of pain. "Let me know when it feels better." With his fingers in his way, he could not be certain he was finished working the cable back into place. He strengthened his field to try speeding up the process.

Another curious sound rose, a trembling sigh this time. Prime was almost taken aback by his own reaction - why did he respond to sensitively...? He knew he should have said something, to make the other stop, but instead, he found himself blurting out, "It's better... Please, keep on."

Clueless as to just what his touch was doing to the other mech, Starscream did as he was told, strengthening his field around his fingers further. "Is the other shoulder bothering you?" he asked. If it was, he figured he might as well do the same to it.

Prime shivered. Oh, yes, it was such a bother, it craved the touch so much, too- But he shook his head firmly and straightened, smiling a bit shakily at the Seeker. "Thank you, Starscream - it feels a lot better now. You have talented hands." _Oh, if I could have those slender fingers up in my front grill, Primus...!_ "Whatever you did, it really helped." _Yeah, helped to work up my whole system quite nicely_. "However, I suppose, you have much to do..." _Do you use to touch that pretty cockpit at nights alone...?_ "So, I'll go now." _Yeah, before I blow._

Starscream let a small smile cross his dark face, very glad he could help. "I don't, but I won't keep you," he confessed. "Thank you for coming. I'll see if I can find Wheeljack." He helped Prime move his armor back into place.

"Yeah. Wheeljack..." Optimus' mind couldn't be further from the inventor. By the stars, how he wanted to push the Seeker back and kiss those lips...! To grind against him until the perfect paintjob peels, marking him as property of Prime...! To caress that cockpit, fondle those wings, bend them until he cried out with the purest delight- He had to concentrate really hard to not act out his desires. After all, it was not done! One of Cybertron's leaders would not rape somebody... especially not his student! "Well... thank you again, Starscream. We'll meet later. Perhaps... We could have a cube tomorrow on break?"

Oblivious to the Matrix bearer's unclean thoughts, the Seeker nodded, his small smile broadening a little. "I'd like that, provided I don't get hung up after class again. Where?"

"Actually, let's break the rules," Prime decided though he didn't actually aim to commit a crime. "Two streets down the Academy's farthest west wing entrance, twice to the left, there is a place where they have very good quality energon, all grades. Let's meet there."

"I know it." Ironically, it was one of Skyfire's favorites as well, and it surprised the Seeker that the realization did not hurt. He supposed he had finally reached acceptance, and remembering his old friend would no longer dredge up unpleasant feelings. "I'll be there."

"Good," Optimus agreed with a smile. "See you there. Have a nice day, Starscream."


	6. Chapter 6

Starscream dodged around students in the crowded halls of the Academy as he ran through the long corridors on his way back to his quarters, elated with the success of his project. With the scientist Wheeljack's help, he had easily figured out the problems with his weapon concept and was able to finish it much faster than he would have working alone, and Wheeljack also named it for him. It worked perfectly, and even Ironhide had to admit Starscream's null ray was brilliant. The Seeker was ecstatic and could not contain it despite his normally stand-offish and private personality.

His enthusiasm came at a price for a few of the unfortunate students he was passing though. He finally had to pause long enough to adjust his wings so they stuck out behind his back instead of to the sides because he kept slamming them into those he tried to squeeze past. After doing so, the Seeker happily continued on his way.

Optimus was heading perfectly unsuspecting toward his own quarters for a datapad he forgot in the rush in the morning. Things seemed to calm down around the Academy. First of all, Starscream finally had his fair share of attention. The null-ray worked out perfectly, and Wheeljack's presence did a lot of good to the Seeker's self-confidence. They both loved to tinker with small things, and they immediately tuned on the same wavelength. Wheeljack was a wonderful mech, enthusiastic, brilliant, and as kind as one gets. He never let himself be bothered by Starscream's usual manners - it peeled off of him like old paint. Optimus was happy that they became friends or, at least, partners. Maybe the young Seeker would find somebody... suited for him finally.

Well, alright. Prime couldn't help but feel some regret... Starscream really managed to find a way to his spark, but it was not done. Optimus was his teacher, and the leader of the planet. For a while after that... accident after Starscream showed him the half-done weapon and finally ended up working out the tension in the leader's shoulders, Optimus had some problems keeping himself in check, especially after the Seeker became a little more friendly. Not that he did anything drastic - but the small gestures, touches, smiles were nearly too much. After Wheeljack came into the picture, those little affectionate things ceased somewhat, and Prime felt thankful for that.

With a small sigh, Optimus turned on the corridor where the paths of the students and teachers usually crossed- and nearly halted. He should have expected the Seeker to turn up.

Starscream dug his turbine into the floor when he caught sight of a familiar combination of red and blue and skidded to a halt just a little past the Matrix bearer. He had not seen him for several orns and was eager to share the tale of his success.

"Prime!" the Seeker addressed as he spun to face him, his dark face lit up by how excited he was. It was rare that he was so happy about anything - he usually contained his emotions so much better barely a ghost of a smile passed over his face, but he could not hold it in now. "Ironhide approved it!"

"I know," Optimus smiled though it was only visible in his optics. "The news travels fast, and the whole staffroom was talking about it. Congratulations, Starscream. You really accomplished something."

The Seeker's wings tried to hike up as they usually did when he was pleased with something, but they could not from their current position and made a tiny whine in their attempt. Starscream reached out to take Optimus' hand in both of his smaller ones. "Thank you for prompting me to go to Wheeljack," he said, slowly forcing himself to calm down at least a little. "I don't know if I could have figured out what was wrong with it before graduation without him."

"That was the least I could do," Prime nodded and tried not to shudder from the conflicting feelings inside. "I'm glad that you're glad, Starscream. Just make sure you properly thank Wheeljack." Now, he was actually happy his face was hidden. "And prepare for the upcoming days. They'll want to know the details about the weapon, and as a new invention, you might have to check up with other specialists."

"Oh, I already thanked him - we celebrated last night," Starscream was not ashamed to admit. "I have to admit my processor's still pounding...I still can't hold my high-grade." This he said with a little embarrassment though the next statement placated him a little. "Though neither can he, it turns out." The Seeker shook his head and turned his gaze back up to Prime, his fingers tracing circles over the larger palm he still held. "I'm prepared for that - in fact, I was wondering if you would have time later to come give me your opinion on something else I started working on." While he could just ask Wheeljack, he knew he had been spending a little too much time with the other scientist lately and still valued Optimus' opinion highly. His infatuation had not dissipated at all, instead growing with the success of his weapon, and now that it was finished, he wanted to pursue his friendship with the Matrix bearer further.

"Oh. It sounds as if you had a wonderful time together." Optimus was baffled by his own reaction - for a fleeting nanosecond, he wanted to grab those red shoulders, pull the other close and demand to know what exactly they did last night. Lately, his mind was playing tricks on him - conjuring up images, forging false sensory input while he was recharging. He saw the slender Seeker in the throes of passion, writhing in sweet agony, or on his knees, pleading to him sweetly. Those were embarrassing images indeed though they seemed to tame Prime's longing. Starscream was a friend, and he obviously wanted nothing more. And Cybertron's leader would NOT force his desire upon any of his people.

"Sure, if I can help you any way, I'd gladly come over," he replied to the question. "We haven't had the chance to talk for a while." Yes, talking was nice. Optimus managed to strike a deal with the Seeker, sort of - he convinced him that if he had a problem with a teacher's methods, he should first rant about it to Prime. It helped the leader to see how Starscream's mind worked, and sometimes, he was actually right. Then, Optimus' diplomatic skills and gentle manners ensured that the teacher got to know about the problem and thought about correcting it.

In fact, Prime was thinking about utilizing Starscream's keen observation skills in the future... but that could wait.

Starscream's wings made another tiny whine of protest when they tried to lift again, pleased at Optimus' acceptance. "I'm free for two orns, so whenever you want to come by is fine with me," he stated. His quarters were actually in decent shape this time and fit for company. He had spent the better part of the time he awaited Ironhide's approval cleaning in a neurotic frenzy as an attempt to keep himself occupied.

"Alright. Maybe tomorrow then? I have a few classes in the morning, but after that, I'm free as well. An hour after midday?" There was no way to make Prime schedule this meeting in the evening. Absolutely none. No matter how lovely Starscream looked, so worked up and happy and smiling brightly.

Starscream nodded and gave Optimus' larger hand a squeeze before he finally relinquished his hold on it though he let his fingers linger a little as he did, the tips almost casually tracing over Prime's palm and down his own fingers before the Seeker finally let go. "I'll be waiting - thank you for everything."

The back end of the student housing wing was quiet unlike the first meeting. Starscream was putting the finishing touches on tidying his quarters, having had the time and opportunity earlier to do all of the necessary cleaning to make it presentable. While his invention was being reviewed by Ironhide, he had nearly gone mad with boredom and anticipation and had rendered his quarters spotless three times over in an attempt to keep himself occupied.

Now though, the Seeker just needed to kill a little more time until Optimus Prime came knocking again. He set his next invention on his small table and frowned at the small room for a moment, sensing something was missing. He stepped over to his desk and pushed aside a pile of data pads to uncover something he had buried a long time ago when it was still too painful to look at. Now, he decided it was time to bring it back out so the ghost of his friend could look upon him and his success.

Skyfire would be proud of him. Starscream knew that, and that knowledge made it much easier to take the old sketch of the two friends and place it on the wall just by his table. It was old, but it was the only picture he had of both of them. Skyfire stood proud with one massive fist on his hip, beaming like a sparkling, and Starscream sat in the palm of the enormous mech's other hand, his legs and arms crossed and his dark face turned down in an annoyed scowl as if he believed the whole situation to be a waste of time - which he had. Starscream remembered being impatient to return to his project, but Skyfire had insisted on getting the picture made just in case they ever parted ways. The irony was nearly painful.

The Seeker took a moment to look at the picture, remembering his departed friend fondly, before he shook his head and sat down to await the Matrix bearer's arrival.

Optimus managed to distract himself enough with his early classes, and by the time he targeted Starscream's room, he was perfectly calm. If the Seeker wanted to get involved with Wheeljack, fine. He was in absolutely no position to lay claims on him; he was a dear friend, but he obviously didn't want to be more, and Prime was not about to let his own lust get in the way. He could reign it, he always managed. He was not a pink-opticed youngling anymore who stammered when Elita smiled at him or couldn't keep his revving engine down when Megatron pulled closer and placed a hand on his front grill. Those times had passed.

Concentrating on finding the right corridor and wondering about what kind of invention Starscream would surprise him with this time, he reached the right door and knocked. They would talk like good friends, discuss things, then go on with their lives. It was easy.

Starscream answered the door quickly and gave Optimus one of his small smiles as he greeted him. "Thank you for coming, sir," he said before stepping aside so the larger mech could enter. Once Optimus was inside, Starscream closed the door behind him and turned to face him.

Prime smiled and let his faceplate retract. "No more 'sir'. Sometimes, I get tired of it. I'm glad to have a few friends who call me by my name." He looked around, and his optics immediately registered the picture on the wall though he decided not to ask just yet.

The Seeker laughed at the reprimand. "Excuse me, i _Optimus /i _," he corrected himself, amused. He turned his head and noticed Prime's gaze falling on the picture. "He was a monster, wasn't he?" Starscream asked fondly. He always teased Skyfire about his size, especially about how the hallways of the Academy were just barely big enough for him.

Prime stepped closer to inspect the picture. "You're sitting on his palm..." He wondered with a smile. The Seeker was so adorable pouting like that. And he changed so much ever since... And, most of all, it seemed he finally let go of the grief and was able to remember the fond memories without being bitter. "Indeed. He was a handsome young mech. His smile is so open and honest, he surely made a wonderful friend."

"He didn't have a mean circuit in his body. It could get very annoying sometimes." Starscream shook his head and approached the table to run his fingers over the large lump of metal and circuitry he had set out on it. "This was what I wanted your opinion on."

Optimus turned his attention to the table. "And what is it this time?" He was curious, really. Starscream's mind worked slightly differently than most; it was fascinating to listen to his ideas. And having something to focus on kept Prime from eyeing the sleek wings.

"It's not much right now," Starscream admitted as he turned it over in his hands. "I'm getting input from Professor Soundwave for it. Skywarp's upgrade works perfectly, so I had an idea for an upgrade for his friend Thundercracker since they're constantly together and probably will be even after graduating." He held up the ugly, unfinished device. "If it does what I want it to, it should emit a localized sonic boom. In battle, it would daze if not temporarily disable an enemy soldier."

"I see," Prime nodded. "Not a bad concept - I see it's a bit similar to your null-ray in effect. You said Soundwave is helping you...?" Soundwave was known to be very quiet. He was a good teacher, but some used to nag him that he had barely any contact with his students aside classes. He seemed a bit distant... not cold, just... more like focused on something else.

Starscream nodded. "Yes - since it involves sound, Wheeljack recommended him to me." He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I thought about just making another pair of my null rays for Thundercracker, but when I let him try them on to test them, something in his systems rejected them as incompatible, so I thought of this instead."

"You let him try it?" Now, that said a lot. The three Seekers obviously were growing close. Prime hoped they would end up as friends - Starscream was in need of a few more. "I mean, it's a good thought. I hope he was not injured. And if you have Soundwave's help, the project will have good chances. Wheeljack directed you to the best mech." Indeed, when it involved sound, Soundwave could handle it.

"Well, I needed to test it before I handed it over to Ironhide, and Thundercracker asked if he could. It fried a few connections in his arm during the rejection, but it wasn't anything serious." Starscream snorted as he remembered the purple Seeker's reaction to that. "Skywarp said it must not have liked him." He left out Thundercracker's own quip about how it must have had Starscream's disposition.

The red Seeker shook his head and looked up at Optimus. "So it's a worthwhile endeavor?" he asked, wanting the Matrix bearer's approval.

Prime shrugged lightly. "Especially if Thundercracker would like it - I say go for it. If you keep this up, you'll be supplying the whole army with weapons," he added jokingly. "Wheeljack really grew on you, didn't he?"

Starscream flickered his optics in a blink and tilted his head to one side quizzically. "We've become good friends, yes," he answered, wondering where he was going with this. "He's a lot like Skyfire."

"I'm glad you decided to open up a little." Optimus laid a hand on the red shoulder. "I've always wished you happiness, and I'm glad now that you seem to be finding it finally." Yes, he was happy. He could ignore the pain... later, some high-grade would numb it effectively.

The Seeker gave him a small shrug. "He's so much like Skyfire, I can't see him as anything more than a good friend," he admitted. "Skyfire and I were never anything more than that either. Wheeljack and I work too well together to muck it up with emotion. I am very thankful to you for introducing us though."

Prime's spark leapt up with joy. So... friends - they were really just friends! Ah, not that it mattered. "What I said still stands. I'm glad that you're happy. Come to think of it... Could you tell me more about Skyfire? And your exploration trips. I was thinking about it lately. You sure had a magnificent time, discovering those planets together."

Starscream looked rather surprised at the topic of choice but saw no reason not to indulge him. "This could take a while," he said with some amusement. He gestured to one of the chairs by his table for Optimus to sit. "What do you want to know?"

Prime settled down. "Anything, really. Adventures... Something worth remembering. You see," he made a soft gesture; "I'm an earthbound mech like half the population, and the concept of flying always appealed to me. At times, I envy those who are not tied to the ground."

Starscream sat in the chair next to him and turned it so he could face him. "Well, it had its ups and downs. Some planets were much more dangerous than others. There was one planet I remember clearly with three suns - night only fell there every half a vorn or so. There were flying monsters there though that could eat literally anything...they ate my wings before Skyfire could evacuate us from the planet."

The leader's optics widened. "That sounds bad... And creepy! Surely, there were nicer places you visited."

Starscream's expression went sour. "That would depend on if you want my opinion or his. There was one planet where we discovered several interesting species of organic creature, one of which had a lot of tendrils and tentacles which it proceeded to use to ensnare me and work into my systems in a rather embarrassing way. Skyfire was highly amused. I was less so even if it felt good at the time."

Optimus had to chuckle at that, feeling his faceplates heat up a little bit. Embarrassing, huh...? "Well, let's just settle with something you liked?"

The Seeker tilted his head backwards over the back of his chair as he thought about that for a klik. "There was one planet filled with debris and native sentient robots who called themselves Junkions. They were really strange, but they were interesting to be around and study."

Prime leaned forward a little bit. "You surely know... There are legends about times long past which say that our ancestors sent ships out toward faraway galaxies to explore them. We still find traces of them here and there... And the speculations say that there could be even transforming mechanoid races which originate from those explorers."

Starscream lifted his head back up. "I read about that," he admitted. "Never put much thought into it before we landed on that planet. They transformed into two-wheeled groundling machines just like we can, so the Junkions may be proof of that legend."

Optimus, for a change, let his imagination run wild. "Wouldn't it be amazing to discover another race like that? Our distant relatives... See how they live, talk to them..."

"We actually found a lead to another planet with a similar race while we were with the Junkions," the red Seeker stated. "But it was too far away for us to reach by ourselves. We fully intended to pull together a formal expedition to investigate, but you know how other things can get in the way...it never happened." He was actually very regretful for that. While he delved into all sciences, his passion was xenology, so alien life absolutely fascinated him. He would have loved to one day discover life elsewhere which had stemmed from Cybertron.

"Perhaps it's even better that you chose to take the military academy as well," Optimus pondered. "Now, you'll be perfectly able to defend yourself and your comrades on exploration trips... You can go either as a scientist, or as a soldier, watching out for the scientists."

"Well..." Starscream drawled reluctantly. "I'll be the first to admit that if I have a choice between one or the other, I'll have my face in a recorder taking readings and collecting samples first."

"Or looking around and pinpointing what's amiss, and rather loudly at that."

"But of course - you know me." Starscream could not help but grin at that accusation. "And for that, if you're around, I'll make sure to make it extra shrill."

"Do you think you could do that to... a larger scale?" Well, now was as a good time as any other, to come out with it. At least, Prime thought, he'll have time to find somebody else, if Starscream rejects the offer.

Starscream's grin faltered as he flickered his optics in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What do you mean? My voice may be horrible, but it's not enough for a sonic weapon. And I've tried, believe me." He said it lightly, but he found himself wondering if Prime meant what he thought he did. He could not deny he had been attracted to the Matrix bearer for a very long time now, almost since the day they met, but he never dreamed that Optimus would ever feel the same way, and he had never shown any interest before.

"No, no, I didn't mean your voice," Prime laughed. "I meant that now you're here in the Academy, you see the faults here. But if you think you could do that for the whole planet…" He reached out for the Seeker's hand. "I value your qualities, Starscream. If you'd like to work for me, with me, inspecting certain territories of Cybertron, schools, sectors, whatever else, and then tell me what needs to be changed or renewed, then I'll gladly take you as my advisor. I'm mostly tied to here; I can hardly go out to see what might be wrong, so you could be my optics and audio receptors."

* * *

No, the file didn't get cut off - that's where Okami wanted to end this chapter. XD Not where I would have ended it, but I go with what she tells me 


	7. Chapter 7

The Seeker's wings actually sagged - very much, in fact. While Prime's request was a great honor, that was not at all what he had expected or hoped for. "Is...that all?" he questioned, trying to hide his disappointment. "I'm honored you think that highly of me." He supposed he really was expecting too much - what would the Matrix bearer see in a lowly scientist like himself?

Optimus blinked. The offer was indeed generous; he expected Starscream to be excited about it, and he was obviously disappointed... as if he waited for something else. "You don't have to take my offer if you don't want to..." he said quietly. "It's just I know that you'd be perfectly suited for that job, even more as we're already friends."

"No, I'd be honored to, sir," Starscream said and forced his wings back up a little, momentarily slipping on the formality. "I can think of a few areas to visit first which are more in need of improvements than others." His wings sagged again in spite of himself at the remark about them already being friends. While he appreciated his friendship with Optimus, he hoped for something more, and it was with a great amount of nervousness that he finally steeled himself to ask, not realizing he should have clarified what he meant, "Are you sure you wouldn't want something...more though?"

Great minds indeed thought alike because Optimus had long convinced himself that Starscream didn't want to be more than friends and probably never would. A great mech as he was, strong, smart, compassionate and a good observer, he couldn't read minds. "More...? What do you mean, Starscream?" The only thing he noticed was that the handsome Seeker was not happy. Something inside poked him to move closer and cup that smooth black face, run a thumb over the head vents, but Prime kept himself in check.

Starscream choked back a noise of frustration though he could not stop his shoulder vents from huffing out his agitation. _Fine_, he thought. _If this doesn't clue him in, nothing will._

The Seeker stood from his chair and closed the distance between himself and the other mech before he leaned down and placed his hands on either side of Optimus so he was bent over, crimson optics even with blue, dark face just in front of the lighter one. "I mean more than what we have right now."

Prime's hands twitched, wanting to shoot up and latch around that slim waist to pull the slender body closer, and his back tensed. Those shining lips were so close... Oookay, let's sort out things. The intention was indeed VERY hard to miss. The leader's ventilation hummed up as he tried to find another meaning for Starscream's sentence - and failed. The Seeker wanted more, wanted THEM to be more... than just friends. Oh, it was the same what he wanted... but he couldn't budge now. "I d-don't think that would be the best idea. I like you very much, but... it's not done - it wouldn't be appropriate-"

Starscream felt his spark leap in its chamber. So, he _did_ have a chance after all. "But you don't deny that you'd want to," he said both to clarify and to put his own mind at ease. "Then what's the problem? I've wanted this for a long time - the only thing that held me back was I didn't think you were interested." As he spoke, he raised one hand to touch the glass of Optimus' windshields. He vaguely remembered doing so before - the night of graduation when he was overenergized.

Prime's hands moved by themselves, slowly, hesitantly, to finally rest on the Seeker's hips. Only to shove him off if necessary though. Optimus felt his vocalizer quiver and twist, and it made his usually soft voice rougher with a hint of static. "Primus, I... no, I can't lie to you - I would like it but... I didn't think you'd possibly take it this far, and besides - I'm your teacher and also one of the leaders of Cybertron... You need somebody who could give you proper attention, a scientific mind who can keep up with you... We shouldn't, Starscream." He offlined his optics and turned his head slightly. His spark was twisting in its chamber painfully.

However, Starscream was nothing if not stubborn and relentless. He raised a blue hand to touch Optimus' face and turn his head to look at him again. "Leaders need someone to go home to just like anyone else." He had lowered his voice as well, trying to tone down its near painful shrill. He stroked his thumb over the larger mech's face before he dared to become bolder. He raised a knee and slowly slid into Optimus' lap, inwardly marveling at how well he fit there. "I want you, and you want me - why shouldn't we?"

He was pulled close in the next moment, strong arms holding him captive. Orange glass gave a brief shriek, grinding against red metal, and a pair of burning blue optics locked with crimson ones. "I don't think you understand," Optimus rasped, despair vibrating in his voice. "From the moment I saw you on that fateful orn, I've wanted you. Decacycles passed, and I couldn't completely drive your face out of my processors, I kept thinking about you, watching you, helping you. I still don't know why, but I became obsessed with you. Every pulse of my spark called after yours - I was this close to forcefully bonding with you after you fixed my shoulder... This is not a passing flame, Starscream. This is not lust anymore but something deeper - do you think you can handle it? Do you think you can return the Matrix bearer's love? Because if not, let us go our own ways, let us be friends, but I don't want an illusion - not even an astrosecond of bliss if there will be no more. I want you to be mine, I want your spark, and if you're not prepared to give it, I beg you, push me away now."

Starscream listened carefully to Optimus' confession, and he felt his spark warm in response to the words. He knew the larger mech thought highly of him, but he loved him? A lowly, egotistical, temperamental scientist who rarely knew when to shut his mouth and quit pushing other mechs' buttons? The words reached his spark, and the Seeker did not hesitate in his response. He was _Starscream_ - he did not approach any task without full intention of taking it as far as he could, and this was no exception. He did exactly the opposite of what Optimus told him to - he grasped Prime by the back of his head to pull him forward and gave him a deep and desperate kiss.

The leader's optics flared to life from the surprise then dimmed out again to concentrate on the wonderful sensation. Energy fields mixed, currents clashed, with a low, almost inaudible hum, stimulating delicate circuitry. Prime's hands tightened their hold, gently mapping out the space between the wings, and his vents were humming to expel the excess heat. Starscream didn't move away... He was here, close, so close... Optimus' spark began to throb softly, sending light waves of energy through his insides.

A small shiver passed through the smaller mech's body in response to Prime's touch. He tried to press closer to the Matrix bearer, the glass of his cockpit creaking at the pressure though he paid it no mind. Starscream had been dreaming of this for far too long - if his glass broke, so be it. He broke off the kiss and tilted his head downward to bury his face into Optimus' neck, eager blue hands starting to wander over squared shoulders and windshields.

"S-Starscream..." The moan was deep, full of delight. Optimus tilted his head back to expose his throat, and his hands wandered to the white wings. However, he still had enough control for one action before he submitted to the Seeker. "Starscream," he repeated, gently nudging the dark head with his shoulder to make him look up. "You want this. You want me. Not just now, but... for longer." He didn't dare to say forever. Forever is an awfully long time. "Affirmation required."

Starscream quivered against Optimus and rubbed his smaller body against the larger mech's. "Yes..." he moaned against Prime's neck. "Quit wibbling like an idiot and take me!" He flared his energy field against Prime's as he rubbed against him and dug his fingers into one of the leader's shoulders. He remembered Optimus mentioning the orn Starscream fixed his shoulder and was not above doing it again if it had truly had such an effect on the larger mech that he almost forcefully took the Seeker that time.

"You have no shame," Optimus claimed with a long hiss of his air intakes and grabbed Starscream's aft firmly to not throw him off as he stood. "And no respect for authority, either." He shuddered from the charge launched at him and targeted the recharge berth. "Maybe you should finally be taught a lesson." He was joking, of course, though... It might be interesting, to be a little firmer than usually. If Starscream would like it.

Starscream wrapped his legs around Optimus' waist when he stood and ground his pelvic armor against the larger mech's grill. "Many have tried to teach me a lesson, and all have failed - do you think you can succeed?" he purred, both turbines rumbling softly as well where his feet crossed behind Prime to anchor him.

"I'll never know if I don't try..." Prime shuddered again, a few more fans kicking to life inside him, and his engine revved up as his grill was touched. It only took a couple of steps to the berth and Optimus let Starscream sit on top of it. He leaned closer for another kiss, one of his now free hands cupping and thumbing the head vents while the other ran over the wing's edge. "Careful with the grill," he murmured, "It's sensitive."

Starscream returned the kiss eagerly even as he tilted his head into Prime's hand. He gasped and tried to angle his wing into the other hand, not registering Optimus' words for a brief klik. Once he did though, his dark face split in a grin as he reached down to the grill and traced his fingers over the slats. "How sensitive?" he purred. "Shall I find out for myself?"

Optimus revved his engine again, this time louder. "B-back then... I would have liked your fingers inside." He rubbed the lower edge of the wing and looked into Starscream's optics. "How far would you take this?" He was not about to pressure the younger mech into anything.

Starscream's playful expression turned exasperated. "You're still wibbling. Quit it." With that, he concentrated his energy field around his fingers as he had the orn he fixed Optimus' shoulder and dug his fingers into the slats of the larger mech's grill. "You're a leader - command me."

"Aah!" Prime's back arched; he couldn't keep the cry down - it just felt too good. His hold on the wing tightened, and the warnings began to flash on the edge of his vision - he offlined them with a growl. "I'm not 'wibbling', and you obviously have no idea about a true leader's qualities. I will not get you into sparkbonding if you're unwilling to do that just yet, soldier." Fine, if Starscream wanted to be commanded, he would be. Discipline was important.

Starscream stiffened and arched his back as well, the grip on his wing sending a jolt of pleasure through his systems. His wings were not very sensitive even for a Seeker's - touch usually felt more relaxing than pleasurable - but the tight grip did wonders, and he wanted more. "I'm willing...to do anything you want me to, sir," he moaned and strengthened his prodding of the leader's grill.

"Remember that you can always stop me-" Optimus managed to choke out before the pleasure temporarily fried his vocalizer. He shook his head, rebooted it, then indeed took the lead. "Lie back and tell me where to touch."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Starscream asked, but he did as he was told, leaning back onto his hands. He slid a foot up one of Optimus' legs, his turbine rumbling and sending vibrations into the larger mech. "My feet."

Prime smiled a bit as he positioned himself between the Seeker's legs and seized one teasing foot, running his finger over the heel turbine. "Patience is a virtue," he warned Starscream, and on a second thought, he pulled him closer. It was easier. "My antennae," he added then. He loved when somebody played with them; perhaps it was his weakest spot.

The Seeker almost did not hear the second comment as he shuddered with his whole body when his turbine was touched, his head rolling back and mouth falling open with a choked cry of pleasure. He almost fell onto his back, but he managed to force coherent thought back into his central processor when he was drawn closer and finally registered Prime's second statement. Intrigued, Starscream reached up to gently trace his fingers over the long antennae on Optimus' helmet. He had heard that extremities such as these were often hot spots, but he had never experimented before.

The trembling sigh confirmed that the touch was welcomed. Optimus shuddered, and let his head fall on the red shoulders. "I love you," he whispered, and he let himself be carried away by the touches and his lover's voice. Position, age - nothing mattered anymore, not even a little bit - only the knowledge that the beautiful Seeker was finally his and his alone.

Starscream let out a small hiss, angry he could not answer that. His vocalizer always snapped out of place when his body heated up from arousal like this, and it was impossible for him to talk unless he cooled again, his vents not enough. He tried to compensate by pressing his face against Optimus' neck and nodding as he continued to stroke the leader's antennae, but he knew that would not be enough - someone as sentimental as Optimus needed to hear it.

For now, however, it was enough. As the heat rose and pleasure heightened, Optimus was forced to offline his vocalizer so as to not alert the whole student wing... He hated to do it because when it came back online, it distorted his voice, and it hurt as well, but right now, he had no other option. It was worth it anyway.

Several breems passed in relative silence; only the revving of the powerful engine, the whine of the turbine, and the sound of metal and glass grinding disturbed it. Core temperature rose and servos glitched, and the lower-priority processors shut off, but the excess energy was now threatening the more important parts too.

Starscream was eerily silent as he ground desperately against Optimus, his legs hooking around him again so he could rub his pelvic area against his grill a second time. He concentrated his energy field between his legs and writhed when the roaring of Prime's engine sent delicious vibrations down a highly sensitive cable in his leg. He desperately wished he could voice how wonderful it felt, how happy he was that Optimus was sharing this with him. Starscream had only ever known the pleasure of his own touch, having never found another mech he wanted to share himself with, but now that his wish had finally come true, he hoped his lack of experience would not disappoint the Matrix bearer.

Well, absolutely not, but Prime simply didn't trust himself enough to switch back his vocalizer and tell it to the Seeker. He responded physically instead, his touches still gentle and cautious but firmer than ever before. This was a fantasy come true - he imagined the proud mech so often when alone... So desperate, needy, quivering with pleasure... The peak threatened to come faster and faster, and finally, Prime's chest armor split and retracted to the side, vents spitting steam into the heated air as his spark chamber was revealed. He looked up, searching those crimson optics for any trace of fear, uneasiness, or doubt.

He found none. Starscream's cockpit split vertically down the middle, and his own armored plating slid aside to expose his diamond-shaped spark chamber. Once his was exposed, he reached out timidly to touch Optimus', his expression awed. His own spark casing was deep enough in his chest that he could not see it without a reflective plate, and he had certainly never seen another mech's before.

The leader's shoulder vents practically howled, and he shook his head firmly, catching Starscream's hand and redirecting it to his antenna again, the same time pulling him closer, as close as possible. Not that he minded the touch, but he didn't want to overload just from that...! There would be plenty of time for it later. Optimus leaned to the Seeker's neck, softly nibbling on the thick cables, and he let his spark pulse, sending waves of his soul energy at its counterpart.

Starscream's back arched elegantly, and his fingers dug into the Matrix bearer's shoulder as Optimus' spark energy washed through him. His spark responded eagerly and fired off a heated pulse once it recovered. His optics shined brightly, and his mouth hung open, vocal processor grinding in his throat as he tried desperately to make some sort of noise to voice how wonderful it felt.

Through the haze of passion, Optimus smiled even though as he felt his vocalizer snapping - the pain was drowned out most effectively. The two sparks arched up, synchronizing to a perfect rhythm, their energies mingling. It didn't take more than a few pulses, and his system gave up - his processors shut off with a shriek, and the pounding excess energy washed over him, running through every single wire and piece of circuit board.

Starscream was not far behind him. His turbines roared and sputtered flames as he thrashed helplessly against Optimus, and his fingers jerked in their grip on the larger mech. His first overload with another mech was so intense, it sent him offline, and he slumped against Optimus even as his body continued to twitch and his wings steamed in a desperate attempt to cool his systems.

Prime didn't move; he just held the other securely, his bigger frame trembling from the overwhelming experience. His insides were sizzling, and a few tiny sparks ran over his plating as the last tendrils of excess energy drained out. Slowly, the pain was catching up, but Optimus didn't care. If a huge, metal-eating beast had been gnawing at the door, he wouldn't have cared about that either. He was too busy feeling perfectly sated and contented to have his lover in his arms.

Starscream awoke slowly, crimson optics flickering online as his chest slowly closed. He opened his mouth to try to say something - voice how wonderful it had felt, return Optimus' declaration, anything - but his throat still had not cooled enough, and only a sickening grinding noise came out. He huffed an annoyed sigh and instead tried to curl against the larger mech, nuzzling his face against a windshield since his voice failed him.

"S-seems-s I'm not the only one who has-s problems-s with his-s vocalizer," Prime said, his voice rough, quiet, and laced with static. A faint expression of discomfort swept over his features, but there was nothing he could do – he would let a medic fix it later. He caressed the dark helm fondly, enjoying the affectionate cuddling very much.

Starscream's head shot up in alarm when he heard Prime's voice. It sounded painful, but he had no idea why it was like that. His own problem was merely an annoyance - he could not imagine why Optimus' sounded so bad.

Starscream reached up to touch Optimus' throat, quietly feeling the plating and cables and gently squeezing in a few places to see if it was simply out of place like his own or something worse.

"No, its-s damaged... Had to shut it off, and the s-strain damages-s it. But it's-s nothing. I'll let it fixed. I hope yours-s is-s better." Prime smiled, and he tilted his head back a bit; the gentle fingers felt nice.

The Seeker frowned. He did not like the thought that Prime had damaged himself because of what they just did together. He shook his head at the last statement, continuing his gentle attentions on the leader's throat as he finally managed to grind out, his own vocal processor slowly easing back into place, "Mine doesn't...work at all...when it...gets that hot. Falls out of...place." His words were interrupted with static as well though at least his voice did not sound like it was hurting him.

"Oh. What an irony." Optimus seemed almost inappropriately amused by the fact that his lover was unable to scream at times. Carefully, he returned the favor, gently rubbing the Seeker's throat. "Don't feel res-spons-sible for it. I'm rather… vocal, unlike you."

Starscream dimmed his optics and tilted his head back, greatly enjoying the other mech's touch though what he said was rather amusing. "You?" He grinned. The thought of the quiet, unobtrusive Matrix bearer as a screamer during interfacing was very interesting. He almost wished he could have heard it for himself.

"Probably production failure," Optimus shrugged though he seemed a little embarrassed. "Maybe Alpha Trion didn't pay attention. It could get annoying at times-s... Es-specially when others-s care for your well-being."

Starscream gave a hoarse laugh. "I don't know - I think I would have liked to hear it." His grin widened a little as he continued to gently massage Prime's throat. "Although I have to admit that I'm curious as to what you mean by that last part." He could imagine what he meant, but surely not. Had someone really walked in on him before?

The leader let his neck be petted. "I s-suppose you'll have the chance to hear me s-sooner or later. Jus-st not here. And, well, there was-s this-s occasion... My partner convinced me to get intimate at a s-somewhat... inappropriate place - we were s-students-s both - and weapons-s mas-ster Ironhide noticed the noise. It was-s... overwhelming." He started to chuckle at the memory - he had never seen such a look on Megatron's faceplates either before or after. His vocalizer protested though, and he rubbed his throat. "Ow."

Starscream laughed at the image as well. He could only imagine the look on Optimus' face when it happened - the large mech was so private and quiet normally, he was probably absolutely horrified.

"You and Ironhide have known each other that long?" the Seeker asked after a moment, his grin softening to a small smile. He supposed, given that, he should be even more thankful Optimus stood up for him against the weapons specialist. Most instructors would sooner take the side of their old friends than an upstart like himself.

"He taught both me and Lord Protector Megatron," Optimus nodded. "I love him with all my s-spark, he's-s a wonderful s-soldier though his-s temper matches-s yours-s. Probably that's-s why you have difficulties-s with getting along."

"Mmm...me accusing him the first day we met of being so enamored with his own cannons he probably interfaces them probably didn't help. I doubt he's forgotten that." Starscream shook his head. He knew that was a bad idea even then, but he could not help himself and would probably say it again if the opportunity arose. "You'd best stop talking though - you're making it worse." He pressed his thumbs against Optimus' throat as he continued to massage it. He could feel the way his vocal processor grinded when he spoke and thought the larger mech should get it repaired as soon as possible.

"You'll have to let me go, then," Prime smiled and affectionately nuzzled the Seeker's dark face. "We'll talk about Ironhide and his cannons-s later." He began to untangle himself though before he slipped off the berth, he leaned closer to Starscream's audio receptors. "You were beautiful when you overloaded. It made me proud that I managed to offline you."

The Seeker's vents hissed to life again in embarrassment, and a faint shiver went through his wings in response. "I...I'm glad my lack of experience didn't disappoint you," he meekly responded.

... Oh. Prime stopped at that. Well, he expected something like that, knowing how Starscream practically led a war against the whole world, and neither Skyfire's nor Wheeljack's charms managed to sway him, but was it really... Optimus laid a gentle hand on the white thigh. "No, it didn't, not the s-slightes-st. Forgive me if I'm ass-suming things-s, but was-s it your firs-st time with another mech...?"

The dark face lowered to move his gaze down to his lap, embarrassed even as he answered, "Yes, it was." He and Skyfire started to a long time ago, but they had stopped abruptly as Skyfire's own lack of experience almost injured Starscream, his much smaller frame fragile in Skyfire's monstrous hands, and as for Wheeljack, Starscream simply did not want to complicate a perfectly good partnership.

In Cybertronian culture where sex merely served recreational purposes, it had a lot less taboos attached than in the case of most organic races. The 'first time' didn't accompany some irreparable damage nor was it viewed as a mark of adulthood or anything else. However, the exposure of the spark chamber, the container of a transformer's soul, was a gift only given to those the mech trusted perfectly. Therefore, Optimus was touched by the Seeker's willingness to bond with him - it meant a lot. He stepped back to the berth and embraced Starscream. "I'm glad," he murmured. "Thank you for the wonderful gift. I'll cherish it."

Starscream's embarrassment fell away when the other mech held him. It was touching to know his confession meant so much to Optimus. The Seeker had to admit he had been initially afraid of his reaction - after all, he was already a good age even for their kind, and most mechs bonded with another in their first vorn of life.

He tilted his head to nuzzle his face against Optimus' neck and returned the embrace. "I'm yours for as long as you still want me."

Prime's vents hitched as his spark gave a joyous throb, flooding his insides with warm, bright energy. His hold tightened a bit. The beautiful Seeker was his finally, and he intended to keep him for a very, very long time.

Until his last sparkpulse.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay, pr0n! And this is finished - well, this part. As we were writing this, the plot kind of went insane as detailed in this note from Okami:

Dear Sparkpulse readers!

We'd like to thank you for your lovely comments and the encouragement! Each and every word is cherished and appreciated, and we're happy that you liked this story. Now, with the seventh chapter, Sparkpulse is finally over.

But the story doesn't stop.

During the months of work while Sparkpulse came into being and reached completion, many-many plot bunnies were born. They fell in love, mated, and had an immense amount of offspring, and eventually, we were forced to give in and declared that the SPARKLIGHT ARC will be written.

Before the actual fic starts, though, we'll take a little detour for a pack of young Dinobots – their story will be known as the 'Dinoboy Chronicles'. It will contain adventure, drama, romance, fluff, angst, and loads of sticky smex. 3 You already know what quality to expect, and we can promise we'll keep it on. If Dinos aren't really your cup of tea, I can assure everybody – the knowledge on their youngling days isn't necessary to understand the actual Sparklight Arc. (But it'll be an amusing read. 3 )

Now, a few words about Sparklight. It's going to be LONG. Our focus will shift from the Autobots to the Decepticons and back, sometimes highlighting certain characters or couples, and this will produce a truly stunning variety of stories. Among others, in the early stories, the hows and whys of our sticky method will be properly explained.

Sparklight will actually follow G1 timeline, from the beginning of the war through the early Earth days and past the '86 movie. However, from time to time, we'll call certain artistic liberties on the plot.

So much for now, about the future plans. We'd like to thank you again, and we hope to see you as the story of this alternative universe rolls on!

- NK & OKami


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